


The Wrong Choice

by Natzo



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Nohr loses, Nohr | Conquest Route, Outsider interference, Post-Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest, Spoilers, Wrong choices, reality ensues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-05-17 14:52:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14834373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Natzo/pseuds/Natzo
Summary: Corrin made a difficult choice. She sided with Nohr. But despite her good intentions, fate was not on her side. After all, how can she win when even her own king plots for her defeat?





	1. Takumi

**Author's Note:**

> Obvious spoilers ahead: This is an AU short story. Some of the events that happened in the game will change. I dislike how in the end the whole "blood family" turned to be false, so in this case, Anankos is Mikoto's father with Corrin being born as a concubine of Sumeragi and inheriting the most powerful draconic traits. Now, I don't entirely hate Nohr, it had potential to be good, but let's be honest here: They are cartoonish evil, and the supports contradicts the way they act in the game proper. Was going to be a one-shot but grew into a short story. Another story I've been sitting on for months. Probably 4-5 short parts

 

In the fields of Hoshido, a white-haired princess stood between two armies. One lead by the people that killed her father and kidnapped her, raising her as a pawn. The other lead by her birth family, who welcomed her with open arms. They had been so eager to be together once more, only to lose their mother at the ploy of the man she had come to call father.

She had to choose between protecting or conquering her land of birth.

The princess made her choice.

_"Ryoma, withdraw your troops."_

With those words, Corrin sealed her fate.

She chose her adoptive family.

The looks of betrayal from her blood family cut deep into her heart. Despite the little time she had spent reforming the bonds she had forgotten, she still loved them. But Corrin had been sure she made the choice that could save the most lives. Nohr was not evil in her eyes, just desperate. That her ... _father_ must have a good reason for this. That this had to be the path of least bloodshed.

That's what she naively told herself as she engaged her blood family in a long war.

Too bad she chose the losing side.

* * *

Emptiness. That's all Corrin could feel at the moment. The chill of the dimeritium shackles dug into her skin as she marched through the streets of Hoshido, but she hardly noticed it. The special binds on her wrists prevented her from transforming into a dragon while the Yato had been taken from her. Not that she had the will to fight or complain. She had used the Hoshidan treasure to slay Hoshidan troops. It was the ultimate insult.

She could ignore the sneers and spit thrown at her, but it had been the words cut deeper than any blade had during the war. "Kinslayer" and "traitor" were only a few of the words that were hurled at her. Those hurt the worst, making her emptiness feel like a pit of despair.

A naginata poked her on the side, making the dragon wince and snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Keep walking, _Nohrian,_ or next time I will use the sharp edge," Oboro snarled at her with disdain.

Being paraded through the town was humiliating, but the draconic girl couldn't say she didn't deserve it. The survivors of her army marched alongside her, waiting for their own sentence. It's no accident that they walked through the square where her mother had died protecting her. They most likely wanted to rub in the guilt in her face.

It worked.

It didn't matter that she did her best to spare the troops, Nohrians still spilled Hoshidan blood and they hadn't taken kindly to her betrayal. They fought with blind fury in the name of their fallen queen, forcing her to slay the countrymen that had waited for her return.

Kaze, who marched in chains at her side, spoke up in her defense. "Oboro, please. There is no nee–" the ninja stopped as he felt the sharp steel of Hinata's blade on his throat.

"Stop talking, Kaze," the samurai said coldly, an unfamiliar tone compared to the cheerful voice he used when she first met him at Castle Shirasagi. "Unless you want to make things worse for all of you."

Corrin bit her lip, drawing blood but unwilling to provoke the samurai. She couldn't understand how things went so wrong. Sure, the Hoshidans had managed to push them towards retreat on that fateful day. Even when having her adoptive siblings at her side, they couldn't win. But Nohrians were a tough people. They would prevail and end this war with as little bloodshed as possible.

' _Not like the soft Hoshidans,_ ' her troops assured her. They loved boasting about how tough Nohrians needed to be to survive in the kingdom's harsh conditions. ' _Those savages are soft and uncivilized, they will fall without their magic wall._ ' Oh, how she wanted to throttle the idiot that said that to her. He should be vulture's shit by now. The Hoshidans had been nothing but kind and welcoming, at least at first. Not greedy monsters laughing at the starving Nohrians like Iago's propaganda painted them as.

The Hoshidans weren't that soft, either. A combination of plentiful resources, good diet, and pure hatred for Nohr made them capable of fielding a powerful army. Each infantry unit more than a match for one of their mounted knights. Their tenma swifter than the stronger, but slower wyverns. Ironically, it was the Faceless that gave them the experience they needed to surpass their counterparts.

Lifting her head, Corrin gazed at the back of Prince Takumi, her younger brother. A young man that didn't trust her since he first set eyes on her. He who had his accusations ignored, but vindicated when Corrin sided with their mother's killers.

If anything, maybe she could ask for mercy on her remaining troops.

"Takumi?" she tried to get his attention, but the Hoshidan prince didn't spare her a glance. "Please, brothe–"

Quick as an arrow, Takumi's armored foot lashed out, earning a cry of pain from Corrin as it connected with her side. Her ribs were already tender, and one was certainly broken now. She fell to her knees, holding the tears of pain back.

Jakob shouted at the sight of his master getting struck. "You uncouth bas–Agh!" His defiance was silenced when an arrow of wind graced his ear, nearly ripping it off. They knew full well that if Takumi had wanted to, the butler would have a hole between his eyes.

"Shut your mouth, Nohrian scum!" Takumi growled as he lowered Fujin Yumi. "You are not _nearly_ as valuable a price as the traitor is. Don't think I have any issues with putting an arrow between your eyes! You only keep breathing because I don't want to listen to her whining."

"Please stop! Do not hurt him!" Corrin pleaded, powerless to do anything else. She was glad that the civilians and soldiers had not joined in. Even they were keeping their distance from the enraged archer.

"You do not get to ask anything, _traitor!"_ Takumi snarled at her. "The only reason you are still breathing is, _for some unfathomable reason_ , Ryoma still has some foolish love for you." He gave a hollow laugh at the idea. "I can't understand him sometimes..."

It pained her that he did not include her other siblings in there. Not a surprise, though. Not after all that happened. "Please, let me explain…"

"A little late for that, is it not?" he sneered at her, dismissing her pleas. "I have no time for your empty words. Ryoma and the others were fools for trying to reason with you. Should've killed you when I first saw you. Tell me, are you _really_ my sister? Did the Nohrians use their magic to change your appearance or put some harlot's soul inside my sister's body? Or are you really Kamui, who decided to side with our parents’ murderers?!"

"Takumi... In your heart, you must know. That as your sister, this war is the last thing I ever wanted," she tried to reason. "If only we could ta–"

The prince barked a dark laugh, looking at her with scorn, letting his temper rise ever higher, "Ah, how quaint. More empty words from the Princess of Betrayal," he mocked her and then she realized how empty her words were. "How can you stand to live after the horrors you caused for Hoshido?! Village after village razed by those Faceless abominations. You mad dogs razing our lands, killing the Kitsune tribes, and stealing from the smallfolk. Just because Nohr doesn't care about their own citizens doesn't give you the right to destroy our way of life! Your damn mages tried to brainwash me!"

Felicia spoke for the first time, loyalty shining through her pained eyes. "Lord Takumi, your sister has suffered through this war too! I have seen the pain she shouldered through her choices!"

Corrin bowed her head, feeling some strength from Felicia's trust in her. "Words could never express my sorrow for what took place for our actions ar–"

The words didn't seem to move Takumi. "Oh? Are you still human enough to feel remorse?" The prince questioned with dripping sarcasm. "I'm sure you are regretting it _now_ that Hoshido is winning this damned war."

"That's not it at all! There _is_ a reason for this war! King Garo–!"

" _Don't talk to me about that monster_!" He roared in rage making Corrin recoil into herself. "You know what that man and his followers want? What his reason is?! To pillage Hoshido and strip it bare just like they do to every country they conquer! To massacre our civilians just like they did in Cheve! Do you know how many warriors that fought to defend their homes were cut down? Or survived just to succumbed to their wounds? How many Nohrians had poisoned their weapons? How many women were taken by Hans and the rest of the bastards you call comrades?! They do that to their _own people!_ " Every word he roared eroded more of her willpower. "You sided with the monsters! Don't you try to weasel your way out of this!"

She wanted to defend the honor of her Nohrian family, but how could she when they were leading their army across the Hoshidan territory?

Another voice came to her defense. "Takumi..."

"I have nothing to say to _you_ , Azura," the archer spat. "I wish I could say I'm surprised that you sided with Garon, but that would be a lie. You know, Ryoma was furious when he learned of your kidnapping." He snorted, shaking his head. "I knew it was pointless to mount that rescue for you. And you proved me right, you Nohrian traitor."

"I could not return to Hoshido, Takumi. Not with things as they were," Azura said, looking at Takumi in the eyes. "It saddened me deeply to leave behind those who treated me so kindly. But it was _Hoshidans_ that kidnapped me and the _Nohrians_ that saved me."

That only earned a scoff from the prince. "You sound just like the royal traitor. I always knew this would happen. As soon as Nohr offered you a hand you took it. That's why I never trusted you. Had I known your betrayal would come so swiftly, I'd have killed you myself. Still, I should have pressed mother harder to banish you years ago."

"How was kidnapping me and raising me in Hoshido different than what Nohr did with Corrin?"

The prince roughly grabbed her face, looking her directly in the eyes. "Don't play that game. Your kidnapping was an accident after the failure to recover her. And we didn't brainwash you into a loyal little soldier, erasing your memories like the Nohrians did. Mother loved you like her own child."

"And I loved her as if she was my own mother," the singer said. Corrin remembered the smiles and tears Queen Mikoto had upon her arrival. How could she forge the warm, unconditional love that not even her siblings had shown her? Garon never did. It only made things harder.

"Glad you repaid that kindness by helping raze her home," he snapped. "Why don't you stay silent like that child over there?" he added, pointing at the silent Princess Elise. The girl marched in the middle of the formation, lacking any of her usual enthusiasm. She had accepted her defeat.

Azura had nothing to say, visibly saddened at his mistrust.

"It wasn't Azura's fault! It was Hoshidans who kidnapped her!" Corrin insisted with anger in her voice. "Hoshido is not entirely innocent in this war!" She realized her mistake as the crowd started voicing their protests.

"I know," Takumi admitted, stopping her cold and silencing the mob. "We tried to minimize casualties at first on mother's orders but there is too much bad blood to hold back the thirst for vengeance. Civilians will always die in war, but we didn't start this war. Hoshido is not perfect, but we don't go to the lengths Nohr does. Those soldiers disobeyed orders but only after _you_ showed them they couldn't trust any Nohrian. If anything, they should've killed her and been done with it. It's more than a traitor deserves." And to twist the knife, he spoke in a whispered voice. "I had hope that... No, I can't believe that for a stupid moment I consider you two sisters."

Corrin dropped her head in defeat, knowing she couldn't change his opinion. "I-I only wanted to bring peace and stop the bloodshed. I thought I was doing the right thing."

"Fantastic job you did. I remember when Nohr sent their Faceless to our villages. They were such nice, peaceful tourists as they razed them to the ground," Takumi said sarcastically. "Nohrians don't know the concept of peace. Only conquest. They have been killing each other for ages. It's their nature, and then they dare to call _us_ savages. Only a few like Scarlett have honor."

Corrin tried to defend her newest home but was interrupted by Takumi's other retainer.

"Lord Takumi, we should move. We are causing a scene." The two royals looked around and saw the crowd had grown quite large. And they were showing Corrin their barely concealed disgust after hearing Takumi's rant.

Calming down, the prince scowled his features and nodded. "You're right Hinata. We can continue this during that farce of a trial."

That didn't stop the retainers from uttering some last words to the princess in honor of their master.

"You should have stayed in that tower and let the civilized people live in peace, _Nohrian_ ," Oboro spat. The princess had come to understand that the spearwoman had a deep hatred for Nohr. Her words made it clear that she was not bothering to hide her racism for the invaders. "No wonder Nohr is a barren wasteland. Monsters like you only bring death and destruction in your wake."

 


	2. Hinoka

 

" _Get in there_ ," Oboro said, roughly pushing Corrin into her cell. She had been stripped of her armor and given a simple set of clothing to change into. The anti-magic binds on her body stung like frostbite, prevented her from transforming. It was clear that the Hoshidans weren't going remove them. The same treatment was given to the rest of the Nohrian prisoners.

"What happens now?" the former princess asked as the door to her cell closed. Taking a quick look around she knew she couldn't escape. Even if she could transform, the Hoshidans had taken that into account. The soldiers at the door carried Wyrmslayers and Dragonpykes. Fighting them would be suicide for her, and who knew what traps were laying in wait.

"Food and water will come three times a day. Use the bucket in the corner for necessities. A wet rag will be provided to clean yourselves every morning. Any ruckus will be punished," said the spearmaster in a bored tone, as if reading from a script. Her voice hardened as she glared at the white-haired woman. "Don't think your status will save you. Here, you are not royalty, nobility or a knight. Right now, you are no different than a common criminal–a  _traitor_ –so behave."

"I want to speak with my older brother," Corrin demanded, drawing her strength to face Takumi's retainer. Ryoma would listen to her, right? She could at least ensure better treatment for her allies. "I must speak with Ryoma."

Oboro bore her teeth at the daring princess. " _King Ryoma_ is currently outside the city, dealing with the remnants of your army," she said. Getting closer to the cells, but ready in case Corrin tried anything, she continued. "You have no right to call him brother. Just be quiet. Your punishment will be decided on–"

Corrin's butler couldn't take the insult to his master any longer. "This is most uncouth! The Princesses dese–ARGH!" Jacob's rant was silence by the shaft of the spear hitting him in the gut.

"Keep pushing it, scum. See how well it goes," Oboro sneered. "No food for you today and only half of you water ration."

Corrin wanted to intervene but so far that only made things worse, forcing her to remain silent.

Taking that as her queue, Oboro started to leave, but not before sparing one last barb. "I hope the quarters are to your liking,  _your highness._  Enjoy your stay," she said, slamming the door closed.

"Pleasant, ain't she?" mutter Silas, collapsing in the walls of his own cell. "What do we do now?"

"What can we do? Unarmed, unarmored, and under heavy guard," Kaze said, looking down at his own binds. They were specially made to hold ninjas. "It might look like we're alone here, but I know my brother would not risk me using my knowledge to escape. I know there are ninjas ready to kill us if we make a move. Make no mistake, these walls have eyes and ears."

"Sister…" Elise asked from her cell, speaking for the first time since their capture. Corrin could not see her from her cell, but there was no mistaking the defeated expression on her face. "Where...Where did everything go wrong?"

"Where indeed…" Corrin replied as she laid on her futon. At least it was clean. Thinking back, everything had started to unravel since Cheve.

* * *

When her army had arrived at the city, Corrin still had hope. Hope that a small show of force would allow her to talk. To parley with the opposition and keep casualties to the minimum. It was a naive hope. How could you win a war without spilling blood? It didn't help that the lack of progress in the war, dwindling rations and bandit attacks made the citizens discontent. She had to put minor rebellions out and that only made things worse.

As it turned out, the leader of the Chevois Rebellion, a woman called Scarlet, wasn't present at the moment of their arrival. Without her and her elites, the rebels were quickly routed. Corrin had faith that her troops would keep the upper hand. If she showed them mercy they would understand that it was better to cooperate with Nohr than continue to anger Garon.

That was until Hans commanded the troops to round up the rebels and civilians for execution as an example to those that defied Nohr. Her protests fell on deaf ears and even Camilla and Leo were powerless to stop him. These were done under the king's orders. They had to stand there as their troops fulfilled the king's will with their blades.

In the end, it was all for naught. Hoshidan troops, along with the remaining Chevois rebels, arrived in force. These fresh troops tipped the odds in Hoshido's favor, cutting down the tired Nohrian troops. The survivors were forced to retreat back to their closed fort with their tails between their legs. The bloodbath left behind cemented the alliance between Hoshido and the Chevois Rebels. They now had a solid foothold on Nohrian territory.

Things hadn't gone their way since then. Slowly but surely every territory that Nohr had taken was reclaimed by Hoshido as more and more territories rebelled against Nohr's rule. This forced them to concentrate their forces into their remaining territory to stop the Hoshidan advance. Garon had not been pleased with her failures and had it not been for her siblings protecting her she would have been executed.

Cheve wasn't the last time such atrocities were committed by Nohrians, though. Garon was getting desperate and he was doing anything to keep his people in line. Many Nohrian generals were committing similar execution across the country. All in an attempt to keep their territories in line through fear. One general called Daniela was particularly vicious. But they only succeeded in fueling their rage, and so more raised in rebellion.

* * *

"Cheve," she said with defeated certainty. "I screwed up there. I… I couldn't even control my troops. What kind of message does that send? That my word means nothing?"

"That was not what destroyed your credibility and you know it," Nyx said from her cell. The sorceress had been meditating since her arrest, but magic would not answer her. "That might have been the spark, but we all know that the point of no return was the Izumo Incident."

Corrin cringed at the memory of the event. That was the blow that destroyed any credibility Nohr had with neutral territories. The princess had not been present, but she had heard the stories. And that alone was enough.

* * *

She would curse whoever was the idiot that thought of such a ploy until the day she died. It didn't matter who planned it, what mattered was that it was carried out. That weasel Zola went to Izumo and impersonated the Archduke Izana. But the icing on the cake was Corrin's own impostor.

From what she understood, a woman named Charlotte was promised a marriage to Leo if she assumed Corrin's identity for the mission. She had the reputation of being a good actress and manipulator amongst the ranks, as well as being a lethal fighter. Zola used his magic to change her appearance and voice into that of Corrin. All while the real princess was putting down a minor rebellion on the other side of Nohr.

Parading in public as her, and with the blessing of the "Archduke", Charlotte called for the Hoshidan Royalty to parley in neutral territory. Pretending to be Corrin, she begged her sibling to meet in Izumo to talk things out away from Nohrian eyes. The impostors were hoping to kill the entire Hoshidan family and end the war in a single stroke.

Unbeknown to them, Hoshido had informants in the neutral country. They had noticed the strange behavior of the guards and eventually discovered that Nohrians had taken over the castle. Even if they hadn't noticed, the Hoshidan's were not foolish enough to risk the entire royal bloodline so easily.

Takumi and Sakura had been the only ones to arrive, with their retainers and a squadron of ninja's shadowing them. It was a heavy risk to send two royals, but they had to avoid suspicion. To prevent diplomatic problems, the archer had informed the Council of Izumo of the threat. The Council was willing to investigate, overlooking the presence of spies in the land for now. They sent some men amongst the Hoshidan escorts to verify their claim.

The princess still didn't know why Sakura went, but she suspected Takumi wanted to show her that Corrin truly was a traitor. That sounded like something her angry brother would do.

With only two royals, Nohr was forced to change their plans. They decided to capture them and use them as leverage instead of killing them. Charlotte played her role perfectly, using sweet words of love and regret to lull the Hoshidans into a false sense of security. Then they sprung their trap, capturing Takumi and Sakura.

Charlotte never dropped her act, bragging on their foolishness on trusting their "sister" just to twist the knife. Why she did that, Corrin would never know, but she hated her for it. Zola didn't have such reservations and dropped his disguise. This was enough evidence for the men of Izumo, and the signal was given. The ninja's stroke at once, freeing the captives and engaging the Nohrian troops.

Despite being caught by surprise, the Nohrians fought fiercely but to no avail. Zola and Charlotte were slain alongside most of their troops. This finally broke the illusion on the false princess, for better or for worse.

As a final insult, a desperate Nohrian detonated a bomb that killed many in the manor, including the real Archduke. It also resulted in a large burn scar on Takumi's back, when he shielded Sakura from the blast. The young princess healed the damage, preventing crippling damage to his movements. But for all her skill, the large scar remained on his skin.

The attack destroyed what little credibility Nohr still retained amongst the neutral countries. Many, like Izumo, started sending supplies to Hoshido and cutting trade with Nohr. Their actions in Cheve didn't help.

Corrin's reputation took a massive hit. No matter if it had been an impostor, gossip still spread. Many thought she was involved in the attack and escaped. Others now suspected similar ploys to replace their leader by Nohr. Her status as a Hoshidan traitor didn't help.

No wonder Takumi was even more suspicious of her now. It was no secret Nohr had magic that could even swap bodies, though they were rare and hard spells, requiring the consent of those involved.

Her quest for peace took a heavy blow after that mess and she wasn't even in the same country.

* * *

Corrin spent the next few weeks–or was it months?–mulling over their situation. No one dared provoke their jailers, and so far they had evaded any incidents. Her demands to meet her siblings were met with silence. She knew there was at least one in the castle at any time. Probably Sakura since… since Fort Jynta.

Food was plain, but the water was at least clean. They were provided with clean clothes every few days, but that was it as far as luxuries go. Still it was much better than expected after all that had happened. They were luxurious when compared to the dungeons in Castle Krakenburg.

The first few days some had discussed the chance of a rescue happening. Arthur got no food that day for being the one that started the conversation. I didn't matter though. Unless Nohr made it all the way to the capital there was no way they could escape alive. Their prison recided deep under Castle Shirasagi and the only way in or out consisted of a narrow passage just wide enough for a person. Multiple checkpoints made it impossible to escape before an alarm could be sound.

After a few weeks she noticed a drop in her strength and muscle. The food was to keep them alive, but out of fighting shape. Despite the exercises her comrades did, the food did not provide enough nutrients to keep their muscles mass, much less build it up.

It would take them along to time to get back into fighting shape. Even if they escaped they would be no challenge to a healthy squad of soldiers.

"Stop pushing me!"

"Move in, and stop making a ruckus! My mercy and patience have their limits."

The sound of those familiar voices caught the Dragon Princess's attention. Getting up to watch through the small opening in her door, she felt some tentative hope forming in her heart.

"Hinoka!" she cried in joy. Hinoka loved her. She knew that much from their interactions before… before she turned her back on her.

Said woman turned her head to look at the fallen princess. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she adopted a stony expression. "Princess  _Corrin_ , Princess Azura," the redhead princess greeted coolly. It was a great contrast to the love and enthusiasm she showed her when they first met. This alone crumbled Corrin's hopes in an instant. Hinoka gave her a once-over through the small window of her cell. "You look well."

"Sister, please. We need to tal–" she started, only to realize who her captive was. "Selena!?" she cried in shock. The fact that she was here alone made Corrin fear the worst. "Where are Camilla and Beruka?"

The mercenary's head lowered in shame, no trace of her fiery personality in sight. "...I'm sorry, Princess. I failed my duty as Princess Camilla's retainer."

Dread formed in the pit of her stomach. "You can't mean..."

"She means the harlot died in battle," Hinoka said in a cold voice as she shoved Selena into an empty cell.

"W-What?!" Corrin asked in horror.

"NO!" Elise cried in shock, tears running down her face.

"She speaks truly, princesses. I'm sorry," the mercenary said from her cell. Her fiery spirit had been extinguished as the reality of her situation came crashing down.

"How..." Corrin swallowed the lump in her throat, forcing herself to power through. How did she die?"

* * *

_"Ready to fall to the better big sister, little bird?" the purple haired Nohrian taunted. "Let's make this quick, I need to return to my sweet Corrin."_

_"Sorry, did you say something? I was just waiting for you to finish getting dressed," Hinoka retorted, twirling her lance with graceful dexterity. "Or does Garon let you whore yourself in that outfit?"_

_Camilla scowled at the insult. She grabbing her axe and flew to engage the Sky Knight for the title of Queen of the Skies._

_On the ground, Hinoka's retainers faced against one of Camilla's. The other was surely hidden somewhere in the woods waiting to strike like the assassin she was, but couldn't do anything about her right now._

_Selena ran through the field at great speeds, sword at the ready. It was clear she had experience on her side, but that was rendered useless when she felt her body freeze in place._

_"What is this!?" she demanded._

_Azama looked at her with his perpetual smile. "Oh dear. People need to be more creative in the use of their spells. A simple barrier spell stopping you cold. Quite creative, no? Of course, creativity is beyond your intellect," he explained as he took her weapons from her._

_"What ar–AGH!" the mercenary cried in pain as an arrow pierced her abdomen._

_"Lady Hinoka has orders to capture you alive," Setsuna said simply._

_"Me? Not Lady Camilla?" she asked with a hint of dread in her voice. As if she dreaded some secret had come to light._

_Azama clapped in approval. "Yep, yep. Glad you could understand such large words. Worry not, I will patch you up. We can't have bleeding yet, though I might amputate something here and there. So just go to sleep and try not to die!"_

_"Geez, thanks for the mercy," snarled Selena as she continued to fight against her invisible bonds._

_"Oh, you're most welcome," she said in her airheaded way._

_Just as Azama finished healing the girl and putting her to sleep, Beruka stroke. Caught by surprise and unable to dodge, the Nohrian axe cleave right through Azama's torso. The Wyvern then used its fangs and claws to rip the body in two, ending the life of the monk._

_Whatever cloud hung over Setsuna's mind vanished through sheer shock as she watched her husband fall in battle. "_ AZAMA!" _she screamed as grief and anger guided her hand. Nocking the hardened arrow, she took aim just as the Wyvern flew to assist the Nohrian princess. She let go of the string, allowing the arrow to find its mark in the middle of the reptile's jaw._

_The arrow pierced its brain, killing instantly. The beast came crashing down with its rider still on its saddle. Beruka couldn't escape in time. Between the impact on the fall and the six-hundred pounds of Wyvern that crashed on top of her, the retainer had no chance of survival. She died an in instant._

"BERUKA! SELENA!" _Camilla cried in distress. "You bitch! I will enjoy spilling your guts in the ground!" she shouted as she moved to attack the archer only to be forced to dodge a spear thrust._

_"You first! You will pay for Azama's life!" Hinoka declared through a snarl._

_The two royals engaged in a deadly aerial dance. Neither were taking prisoners here. Camilla was stronger and her axe was the natural counter to Hinoka's nagitama. The Hoshidan princess had trained for this, though. She wore minimal armor, allowing her nimble body to evade the slower Nohrian female. Camilla was getting frustrated at the lack of progress. She readied herself to attack when an arrow found itself piercing the side of her mount. She cried shock, dropping her weapon as her wyvern thrashed in pain._

_That was all Hinoka could ask for._

_In a flash, the curved blade of her special dragon-killing nagitama embedded itself in the exposed chest of the Nohrian princess._

_Raising her in the air as another arrow finished the wyvern, Hinoka pulled the purple-haired beauty close to her face. She expression was one of shock as blood spilled from her mouth. "A tip for your next life," she said with a bloodthirsty smirk. "If you're going to bother wearing armor, don't wear one with a hole just to show your tits, harlot!"_

_With a twist, she dropped the body to the ground, ending the life of Princess Camilla Krakenburg of Nohr._

* * *

"Princess Elise, I would offer you my condolences, but they would be nothing but empty lies. I don't regret killing your sister. Not after all the Hoshidans she killed. Maybe she would've have lived if she hadn't gone around whoring herself to the world," spat Hinoka.

"Don't talk about my sister like that! Camilla was a great sister and deserved better!" Elise shouted through her tears.

"Please, Hinoka. There is no need for such words in front of Elise," Corrin pleaded through her own tears.

Hinoka's gaze softened when looking at the young girl crying in the other cell. "You're right, I will give you that. There is no need to take my feelings for your sister on you, Princess Elise. But what's done is done, and I don't regret killing an enemy of Hoshido. Especially one that killed so many of my troops with a smile on her face."

Corrin cringed at that. The purple-haired princess could be quite cruel and bloodthirsty in battle. "I know Camilla had her… quirks, but she only wanted to protect her family."

"That's the one thing she and I will ever have in common. We both killed for our families. For  _you_ ," Hinoka admitted with a scowl. The Sky Knight got closer to look at Corrin in the eyes. "Since mother gave birth to you, I loved you. The first time I held you in my arms, I didn't care we didn't share the same mother, I swore to protect you. Once we learned that Nohr killed our father and kidnapped you, I dedicated myself to my training to save you."

"Hinoka, I–" A fist smashed against the hardened wood, making Corrin jump in fear.

"And what do I get?! Mother died protecting you and you ran back to your kidnappers! All my trust and love for you betrayed! My people slaughtered! My friends killed!" Hinoka shouted as her voice raised higher with her rage. " _I'm done with you._  I'm done wasting my life chasing after a sister that died long ago. You might have her face, but you are not Kamui. Kamui would never have insulted mother's sacrifice by siding with her killers!"

The words were like a stab to the heart. The longer she spent in Hoshido the more she remembered. The little games she used to play with Hinoka. Takumi following her around with little Sakura crawling after them. Ryoma watching them with amusement and pride. She was not close to having all her memories back, but she now knew what she lost. They were brighter memories than even those with her Nohrian siblings. And now she was practically disowned by half of her blood-kin.

"I just wanted my sister back… and yet, despite knowing the truth, you still sided with them," Hinoka repeated in a sadder, defeated tone. Anger gave wave to disappointment. "Were we not enough?" she asked.

"I thought I was making the right choice," Corrin said in almost a whisper. "I thought I could convince Fa– King Garon to stop this war," she admitted with a feeble smile. "But an adopted princess that had no time in court just doesn't have any pull on the kingdom. The little power I had was because Garon allowed it. I… I should've figured that sooner."

Hinoka only looked at her in bewilderment and disappointment. "Anyone could've told you that." Before Corrin could answer, her sister shook her head. "Doesn't matter know. You picked your side, now deal with the consequences like the rest of us," the red-haired princess said as she turned to leave.

"Hinoka, wait!" the dragon princess pleaded. She was already defeated, so she was not above begging. She wanted to salvage at least some semblance of their relationship but now was not the time. There were other things she needed to know. "Please, answer some questions. We don't know anything about the war."

She feared her sister would not give anything. But to her surprise, Hinoka leaned against her ironwood door. Looking through the small opening right at her, she gave her a curt nod. "I can't spare much time here. Sakura needs me now more than you do."

' _Sakura_.' Corrin gulped, not trusting her self for a moment. Guilt ran through her veins at the mention of the shy princess. "How… How is she? Has she recovered?"

"...As well as she can be, giving the circumstances," Hinoka said with clear hostility in her voice. "I suppose thanks are in order. At least for stopping your troops from doing to her what they did to her fellow Shrine Maidens. It's nice to know you keep some semblance of Hoshidan honor. Everyone now knows that Nohrian honor is worthless."

Corrin flinched. Her troops? More like Garon's. The things they did to those poor girls before killing them… She needed to change the topic.

"The war… how is it going? Has there been any discussions about peace?" she asked, knowing it was a silly thing to hope for.

Hinoka's harsh laugh was disheartening and unexpected. " _Peace_? At this point? After Izumo? After everything Nohr has done? Are you daft?" The princess shook her head. "No. Peace will only come once Garon's head is on a pike and Nohr is on its knees."

There was something in the way she said those words that send shivers through Corrin's spine.

The Nohrians in the prison felt the same dread. "What… What are you going to do?" Felicia asked.

"You may be prisoners but if you think I will reveal our strategies then you are fools," the redhead said with a scoff, barely sparing the maid a glance. "I can tell you this. This war is nearing its end. Princess Camilla is dead while we have three Nohrian royals as prisoners. Yato is back under Hoshidan control," the Sky Knight said, each word a blow to the morale of the defeated army. "Only Prince Xander, Prince Leo, and King Garon stand in our way."

"They won't fall easily," Silas said from his cell, giving a defiant glare to the Hoshidan princess. "I don't want this war any more than you do, but Xander and Leo are formidable opponents. Nohr will not be so easily defeated."

Hinoka merely raised an eyebrow at the knight. "We know. But we are ready. Takumi is eager to face Leo once again," she said. The statement left Corrin dreading the showdown between her brothers. Hinoka gave Azura a hard stare. "Then we can focus on the  _real_ enemy."

The songstress' stony expression crumbled in shock. "Hinoka! Do you mean–?"

"I do, Azura. We have been informed of the curse and the nature of the true enemy."

"What?! Who?! Ho–?!" Something resembling hope and desperation rang in the singer's voice. Azura shook her head, regaining some composure. "Then you know Nohr is not the real enemy. You can work together! We can work together!"

A scoff escaped the Sky Knight. "That might've been the case years ago, but right now Nohr is very much the enemy," Hinoka retorted in a cold voice. "Hoshido will work with the Nohrian Rebels and end the threat of both Garon and the true enemy."

"What are you talking about?" Corrin asked, confused by the strange conversation. She could see her comrades were equally as confused.

"Of course, she didn't tell you. She is very good at hiding the truth. Must be something she picked in Nohr," Hinoka snarked.

"Hinoka..." Azura whispered.

"Once this is over, we will have a long talk before the final judgment is passed. For now, you know we can't freely talk about it," the Hoshidan said with finality.

Azura seemed to realize something. "Hinoka. Where is my pendant?"

Hinoka barely spared her a glance. "In safe hands. That's all I will say. We will use it to fulfill its purpose," she said with finality. "I need to see Sakura and then deal with the refugees from the border towns. Food will be coming soon." With that, the princess closed the door, leaving the prisoners alone.

"What was she talking about, Azura?" Corrin asked with a scowl, angry at being out of the loop. When the songstress didn't answer, she felt anger start to boil inside. "Azura?" No answer. "Azura!"

"I'm sorry, Corrin," the blue-haired princess said in a reluctant tone. "There is so much I want to tell you, but I can't. Not here and not because I don't want to, but because it's not possible for me to speak of it. There is a… curse that would kill me if I speak more of this. Things… things that could change this war, but I fear it's too late now," she admitted. "I tried… I swear I tried."

Corrin had no idea what the songstress was talking about, but she knew it was important. She just didn't know what to say. She tried to prod for more information, but it was clear Azura wasn't going to budge. The white-haired girl just dropped on the floor, glaring at the ceiling. Tears pooled in her eyes as she mourned Camilla. She cursed the gods for the unfairness of losing one sister to the hands of another.

None of the prisoners said anything, but the atmosphere in the prison got heavier. They all know that Azura's secret was of great importance in this war, but even if she shares it there is nothing they could do. They could only wait for the inevitable conclusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Corrin is not strong here. Nearly all her siblings outclass her at the start and here they grinded in their own way. She has the charisma to rally her troops but remember something. Conquest is meant to be hard gameplay wise. That means, Hoshido has strong troops and Corrin is at a disadvantage. This is a save in which she couldn’t save scum, made bad decisions, and there is a Bad Ending… for her.
> 
> With Corrin being less successful in her campaign, there are changes on how plans go about. Such as Izumo. Her inexperience leading costs the Nohrians time and troops, allowing Hoshido to turn the tide and it goes downhill from there for them. There idea of Charlotte taking the identity of Corrin to infiltrate Hoshido is from another fic called “This Is Acting” by “Katryn”. Sadly, never updated past chapter 3 in 2016.


	3. Sakura

It was thanks to Kaze that Corrin could appreciate just how creative the Hoshidans had been with their dungeons. She already knew they were deep underground with only one way out, but that was only the beginning. Air came through openings too small for even a child to crawl. The lack of windows made it impossible to know if it was day or night. The guards at the door rotated randomly, and their meals came at irregular intervals. The lights were always on. They couldn't tell if it was days or weeks that had passed. It would drive any weak-minded person insane. The princess was thankful that despite everything they suffered, her comrades' wills still endured.

Corrin had noticed that in this particular dungeon there were only members of her own army. No other Nohrians were in here. She didn't know what to make of that.

She looked at her hair. Far too long now due to the lack of care. The same could be said about those she could see in the other cells. Silas had a beard and his well-kept hair was long. Elise's hair was messy and loose, lacking the care she would give it if she had the means. This was true for all those present. Their faces were lightly gaunt, and loss of muscle was more pronounced every time she saw them. Corrin looked at her arms and realized it would take her a long time to be able to wield a sword, but she doubted she would get the chance ever again.

Maybe it was a rightful punishment for her failure at Fort Jynta.

* * *

Fort Jynta. Despite her failures, King Garon gave her one last chance. Under his orders, a large portion of the Nohrian army would charge through the plains of Hoshido as a distraction while a smaller segment would aid Corrin's troops on taking Fort Jynta. Their spies discovered that the fort had been transformed into a field hospital, housing most of Hoshido's medics and injured troops. Corrin accepted, knowing that if anyone else took the mission they might execute all those injured.

The fort was resilient, but they lacked the troops to sustain a long siege. Eventually, the gates fell and Corrin's troops charged through to engage the garrison. It was a bloodied, but one-sided affair. The Hoshidans had sent a large portion of their troops to chase the other segments of the Nohrian army, leaving them undermanned to sustain her rush. The Hoshidans didn't surrender, not trusting her offers of mercy. Worst of all, the presence of Sakura at Yukimura's side was an unwelcome surprise. It pained Corrin to fight the sister that desired so much to be part of her life, but this was the only path she had left to ending this war.

Sakura had been left in charge of the fort, healing all the injured. But she had proven her worth as a Princess of Hoshido by taking a bow and defending her people. Clearly, Takumi had been training her. Her arrows struck down many of her troops, including felling Benny and Keaton, two of her most recent recruits. Corrin could clearly remember one arrow piercing Benny's eye, killing him instantly. Keaton lasted longer, dodging many arrows as he tried to get close to Sakura. The princess had the high ground, however, and finally pierced his knee, quickly following with an arrow to the heart.

The determined princess even managed to shoot off one of Corrin's ears as tears ran down her face, but the dragon princess powered through the pain. The battle was sadly not in Hoshido's favor and the youngest princess was soon defeated as Yato cut deep on her side. Corrin was horrified at what she had done, dropping Yato and aiding her sister. Luckily for her, Elise had been with them and healed her. A minor respite, for she was now a prisoner of Nohr.

Corrin pleaded with Sakura to order her troops to stand down, promising that no harm would come to them. Sakura tearfully agreed, trying to spare the lives of her defeated comrades. Corrin breathed a sigh of relief, but her peace was short-lived as Garon soon arrived with his loyal troops. The princess told him of her promise, but to her horror, the king overruled her in front of Sakura. Garon's troops started killing the shrine maidens and wounded soldiers in front of the Hoshidan pair. The actions once more proving all of Hoshido's precognitions about the Dusk Kingdom.

Garon was particularly cruel and Hans presence did not help. The man suggested that while the princess was valuable, her retainers were not. Garon gave a bloodthirsty smirk at the idea and soon Hana and Tsubaki were dragged in front of her. Sakura's screams as her captured retainers were beheaded before her eyes under orders of the king stabbed at her heart like a burning knife.

Yukimura had also been captured. He was Hoshido's tactician and a valuable intelligence asset. She remembered the curses he threw at her in Mikoto's name before he was taken away. She never saw him again, but she didn't have much hope the man was still alive.

The dragon princess tried to console the young redhead only for it to cause the patience and kindness of the princess to finally reached their breaking point. A slap to the face hurt worse than any wound she had ever received, feeling all the rage and anguish from her estranged sister.

* * *

_"Liar!" Sakura shouted at her with tears in her eyes. Her shyness and patience were broken by the anger and grief she felt. Corrin couldn't muster any protests. Her promises meant nothing in the end. "You promised! Y-You promised..."_

_Sakura's tears were horrible enough as a memory of the baby girl she used to be flash through her mind. But the sight of a Nohrian ax cutting Sakura's hand in retaliation will haunt Corrin for the rest of her life._

_"That's your punishment for striking a Princess of Nohr, savage," Hans said, too happy with the excuse._

_She couldn't believe it. Sakura's arm laid in the ground next to the heads of her retainers. The grass was stained with too much blood. Corrin turned to the arrogant bastards with a murderous expression._

_"You monster!" she roared as she tried to strike Hans. To her shock, Yato did not cut into his flesh, its edge dull. The red gemstones no longer glowed with power, darkening into inactivity. In her shock, she did not notice the hand that grabbed her and raised her in the air._

_"Corrin!" Garon shouted, meeting her eyes with his cold stare. "I will not allow any more insubordination! Hans did the right thing in not tolerating such an insult. The girl will be treated and remain as a prisoner. You will move tomorrow to your next target," he said, looking down at the dull Yato with a strange expression. "Change that dull knife for an actual blade next time you try to kill someone."_

_With that the man left her with her troops in the hospital turned graveyard, with her injured and broken sister grieving for her friends._

* * *

She was thankful that Leo and Xander arrived just before she departed. They had left guards loyal to them protecting Sakura from the worst of the Nohrian army. She dreaded to imagine what the thugs under Hans' command would do if they had time alone with the young princess.

The surviving Shrine Maidens weren't so lucky. She dreaded to think what those men did to the poor girls.

Still, the contrast in their health was more obvious the day when Hinata and Oboro came with a new prisoner. The Hoshidans had new scars and bandages in their bodies, but nothing crippling. Odin was a mess, though. He was in a simple prisoner outfit that revealed a strange tattoo on his shoulder, as well a litany of bruises and scars.

"Odin!" Selena shouted with a mix of shock and relief.

"In you go," Hinata said, pushing the battered mage into a cell.

"Your cellmates will explain to you how things work around here," Oboro said, glaring at all the occupied cells, leaving Hinata to check the locks.

"Odin, where is Leo?" the white-haired princess asked, fearing she already knew the answer.

"Milady, I..." the defeated tone on his voice told her everything she needed to know.

"No… not Leo, too," Corrin pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, milady," the sorcerer apologized with none of his usual flair. "Seeing as Selena is here, you must know about Princess Camilla too. Am I right?"

"I… Yes, we know," the defeated princess said, now bearing the weight of another sibling's death. She did her best to ignore Elise's distraught sobs. "How did it happen?"

After settling in his cell, Odin started telling his tale. "I'm sure you know that the Hoshidan ninjas managed to break Princess Sakura out of Fort Jynta."

"...I do. She is in the castle, as we gathered."

"I see," Odin said, leaning against a wall. "Well, King Garon was less than pleased after learning of your capture and the death of Princess Camilla. He ordered Prince Leo to reinforce the fort as it was our main foothold in Hoshido."

"Was?" Silas asked, easily catching the meaning.

"Was," Odin confirmed. 

* * *

_The assault came at night, announced by an explosion that brought down the gates of the fort._

_Prince Leo came running, his retainers on his heels and Brynhildr in his hands. "What's going on!? Report!" he shouted to the courtyard._

_One of the knights answered, blood running down from a cut on his forehead. "Ninjas, sir! They somehow snuck in and planted explosives on the gates and walls! A massive army of Hoshidans came under the blanket of darkness!"_

_"How!?" the prince demanded. "Our sentries should've detected them!"_

_"The ninjas killed our sentries," the knight answered nervously. "They know this fort better than us."_

_"But they would need to snea–!"_

_As if to answer his incomplete question, the floor caved in under a massive explosion that claimed the life of the knight. The prince and his retainers barely escaped failing in by jumping and rolling back. Staggering to their feet, the saw how the detonation was caused._

_"Tunnels," Leo murmured. "That's how they must have done it. Same way they must have broken Princess Sakura out! How did we not find them?!"_

_"Ninja tunnels are not easy to find, even for a thief. I might have street smarts, but they have generations of skill available," Niles said with a shrug._

_"Get ready t–" Leo's word died on his throat as Niles pulled him out of the way of a wind arrow. Through the breach, a squad of Hoshidans rushed his troops. To make matters worse, they were led by Prince Takumi and his retainers._

_Soon both side clashed in a storm of swords, arrows, and magic. Wind arrows pierced black armor just as twisted tree branches ripped through flesh. Dark magic flew while katanas and naginatas severed limbs and heads._

_The former thief hit a samurai in the stomach with an arrow while sporting a cocky smirk. It was only his instincts that allowed him to dodge the incoming attack. A katana passed where his head was moments ago. Dropping his bow, be pulled his daggers and slashed at Hinata with frightening speed. The samurai got multiple shallow cuts on his arms, but none of them lethal. Niles didn't have the time to apply poison to his knives and that would cost him dearly. Hinata had range advantage with his longer weapon and skill._

_"What's the matter, little samurai? Was your girlfriend among those here?" The thief taunted, trying to anger the swordsman into making a mistake, but the mistake was his._

_Hinata's rage guided his blade. He quickly cut into the thief's leg, making him stumble. With a spin, he raised his blade high and cut Niles hand. As the Nohrian retainer fell, Hinata slid his katana through his stomach, spilling Niles's guts on the floor._

_"Her name was Hana," Hinata gritted out. "And she taught me that move," he said before driving his blade into Niles's heart, finishing him off._

_Odin cried in shock but was forced to jump out of the way of a naginata. Not fast enough, though. The blade ripped through his shoulder, making his left arm useless. His sleeve fell, revealing a blue tattoo on his shoulder._

_"Hmm, so you are the one we have to keep alive. You're lucky," Oboro said with a frown._

_"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused. He tried to raise his tome to cast a spell on his opponent but felt his head cloud with dizziness._

_"Paralytic venom from a northern taipan. Slowly paralyzes the human body," she answered his unspoken question, twirling her weapon and cutting through the neck of a Nohrian that tried to sneak behind her. "Nohr is not the only one that can coat their weapons with toxins."_

_"Whaa… WOAH!" Odin cried as the Hoshidan put the naginata between his legs. She swept his legs under him, driving her elbow into his nose, breaking it._

_"Niles! Odin!" Leo cried, forced to watch his retainer fall while dodging arrow after arrow. He barely had time to cast any spell. Takumi was making sure he couldn't get a second to focus. This was bad. His troops were professional and veterans, but the explosions and assassinations had thrown them into disarray. He couldn't count on his troops to offer reinforcements, so he had to get his own._

_"I didn't want to have to resort to this, but you leave me no choice." Gathering his magic, he summoned a three Faceless. These beasts were different. A horrific mix of flesh, with faces stretching across its body. Faces the prince recognized from the healers' stations on the fort before it's capture. The stuff of nightmares._

_"Now you use the corpses of those poor girls as tools? You disgust me," Takumi spat, launching a light arrow into the head of one of the monstrosities. It's divine power purifying the dark spell and putting the poor girls out of their misery._

_"This is war. Robbing the enemy of resources and using them against them is a basic strategy," Leo said in a cold tone, though those that knew him could tell he disliked the idea of using corpses as puppets. Resorting to this was pragmatic, but it cost him his humanity._

_The two remaining Faceless abominations charged at the Hoshidan prince, but he had his own reinforcements. Hinata engaged one of them, slashing deep into its back and gaining its attention. The other one charged, only for an older Kinshi Knight to dive down from the sky and behead it, laughing in delight at the blood. Takumi quickly finished them off, purifying them with the power of Fujin Yumi._

_Leo ground his teeth and prepared a spell that he could never get to cast. One of the ninjas threw a flash bomb next to him, blinding him for a moment. Takumi had seen the attack coming and closed his eyes just in time. Not wasting the opportunity, the Hoshidan prince took aim, launching arrows of divine wind right into the neck of his opponent. The Nohrian prince fell to the ground, clawing at his throat as he tried to breath. It was a slow death that awaited him._

_"Not so arrogant when you are choking on your own blood, asshole?" Takumi sneered, drawing the string of Fujin Yumi and gathering wind into his hands. "But I'm not a monster like you Nohrians. I will put you out of your misery. Yukimura. Hana. Tsubaki. **Sakura**. This is for them!"_

_"Prince Leo!" Odin shouted as she witnessed an arrow finished his liege lord off. That was the last thing he saw before Oboro hit his head and his world went black._

* * *

"Leo used the Hoshidan corpses to create Faceless!?" Corrin said in angst.

It was Nyx the one to answer. "Of course. The Faceless don't appear out of thin air. He needed the base and he was lacking on troops. Makes sense that he would be pushed to that in middle of a war."

The princess didn't know what to think about her brother. She knew that the Faceless needed corpses. It was one of the things she hated the most about Nohr. The use of their own people or prisoners as components for their monsters, but she hoped it was only Iago's troops that did that. Not her brother.

She zoned out for a moment, only catching the end of Kaze's sentence.

"–en I wasn't aware of those tunnels," the ninja said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Only the head of the clan and the Royal Family know of those tunnels. A precaution in case the fort were to fall."

Corrin could hear how Kaze's head snapped towards the voice. Looking closely, she saw a familiar, scared ninja holding a tray of food in his hands.

"Saizo. You're back. I suppose King Ryoma is here?" Hinata asked, having finished checking all the cells. She had forgotten he was there. He must have listened to see if he gained any useful information for Hoshido.

The ninja shook his head. "No. I came to the castle on an errand for his Highness. That's it. Only taking the chance to get this over with."

"I see," the samurai said, taking a glance to the cell where his former friend was. "I will leave you to your family matters."

The samurai left, leaving the prisoner's alone with the Fifth Saizo.

"Saizo, I–" the green haired ninja started.

"Kaze," the elder twin cut him off. "I never thought I'd live to see my own brother betray us. As your twin, and a proud ninja serving the great kingdom of Hoshido... I want you to know that I am truly ashamed of you and your actions."

Kaze stood, weakened but still with his pride. "Saizo, we have been close since the moment we were born," he said, getting close to the window to look at his brother in the eye. "I never wished to disappoint you, but I stand by my decision. Say what you will, but I have no regrets siding with Princess Corrin."

"You are a fool, Brother," Saizo said with a scoff of disdain. "Look where siding with the traitor got you."

Kaze looked down, and Corrin felt another part of her heart break apart. Another family was broken by her choices.

"I spoke with King Ryoma," Saizo eventually said. "He has agreed that your punishment will be handled by our clan's law."

"...I see," the green-haired twin said, swallowing hard. "When?"

"Tomorrow. I will come before sunrise to allow you to see it one last time." Opening the slot at the bottom of the door, the ninja slid the tray towards his brother. "This is your last meal."

Kaze looked at it and his breath hitched. "...This is mother's cooking."

"Yes," Saizo admitted. "She will not be there tomorrow, but you are still her son. This is her last gift."

"...Thank you, brother."

Saizo said nothing to that, just turning and moving to leave the room. Before he left, he said one last thing. "Kotaro is dead. Father has been avenged and Mokushu's territory will be divided between Hoshido, Izumo, and the liberated Kohga as punishment for conspiring with Nohr."

"Father... I sh–"

"That's all I've to say. Make of that what you will." With that, Saizo left.

There was silence in the dungeon as the comrades turned towards Kaze's cell. They couldn't see him, as he was sitting on the floor. But the words his brother had given him made them all realize that their lives could end at any moment. Despite being prisoners for a long time, there haven't been any mentions of executions. Why else would they keep them alive? And then reality gave them a slap in the face.

"Kaze..." Azura said, being the one that knew him the longest.

"It's alright, princess," his voice trembled as he tried to reassure her. "I sided with Nohr on my own volition. My only regret is that I couldn't help you and Princess Corrin fulfill your mission."

"What..." Corrin found it hard to complete her question, but she powered through. She needed to know. "What is the punishment under your clan's law."

"I will be allowed to choose between two options. Death by seppuku." Realizing many didn't know what that means, he explained, "They will allow me to commit suicide to die with honor. If I reject it, I will be beheaded, and my corpse will be thrown in an unmarked grave outside Hoshido, never to rest with my ancestors."

"That's–!"

"Barbaric!" Jakob spat.

"I knew that was likely my fate if we ever lost," he said before his tone became as frigid as the home of the Ice Tribe. "And as a Hoshidan, I don't need to remind you of whose country desecrated corpses. Don't think for one moment I approve of the actions we had to take. I only did so for Lady Corrin."

Jakob visible winced at Kaze's cold tone. Corrin decided to intervene before her butler gained the attention of their guards, pretending Kaze didn't twist the knife further into her heart.

"What do you plan to do? Will you choose seppuku?"

Kaze remained silent for a minute, thinking it over. "...I will do it. More for my family than anything else. At least then I will be allowed to rest in the same grounds as my ancestors, despite the shame I brought them."

With nothing left to say, they let Kaze enjoy his last meal in peace.

The next morning Saizo returned with a pair of ninjas and escorted Kaze out of the dungeon. That was the last time anyone ever saw him. 

* * *

Weeks later, another tragedy struck.

Elise had fallen deadly ill at during the night. Her siblings' deaths only made her worse. She barely ate and had no means of distraction. Being locked in an underground cell was too much for the young girl but Corrin's pleas fell on deaf ear until Elise got sick.

Thankfully, the Hoshidans weren't cruel enough to let the young girl suffer. Rinka was the one to answer her pleas for help.

"What's all this ruckus?" She grumbled with clear annoyance.

"Please! My little sister, Princess Elise, needs help!"

Rinka frowned and waved the two guards at the door to follow her in. "If this is a trick…" she warned.

"It isn't, I swear!" she pleaded.

The Fire Tribe's heir looked at her with a scowl and scoffed. "Fine." Rinka opened the door to Elise's cell. Checking her over, the woman cursed. "Damn, she's burning."

"Call a healer, please! Elise is innocent of what anything in this war!" the white-haired girl pleaded, dreading the idea of losing another sibling.

Rinka frowned. "There is only one healer in the castle at the moment and that is Princess Sakura."

Corrin cringed at Sakura's name. She touched her ear and felt the missing tip. A reminder of the battle with her younger sister.

"Is… Is there no one else?"

Rinka just raised an eyebrow, but her eyes burned with cold fury. "You might recall that Hoshido is currently facing a shortage of healers."

She might as well have punched Corrin. The girl swallowed her worries and asked, "Will she help her?"

" _Yes_. Despite everything, Lady Sakura is not so cruel to let a young girl die when she can help her." Rinka said with a long-suffering sigh. "Honestly, she is too good for this damn world," she muttered as she left, leaving the Nohrians to pray for the young princess. 

* * *

Sakura arrived after what felt like an eternity flanked by Orochi and Rinka. Corrin went to her door to thank her sister for coming but was shocked into silence at the changes on her sister.

The young Hoshidan still wore the same armored priestess outfit that she used during their fight, but that was it. Her sleeve was sewed to cover the stump where her left arm used to be. Her hair was longer and she wore it in the same style her late mother had. Hana's bandana and Tsubaki's hair-tie adorned her hair in honor of her fallen retainers. To her surprise, Yato rested on her hip, the red jewels glowing brightly. The sword had chosen a new successor, one far worthier to bringing peace than Corrin.

But what shocked her the most was her eyes. Gone were the shy, but warm eyes that welcomed her to Hoshido. Now, when they locked eyes, they just looked at Corrin with emptiness. There was no hate in that gaze, just apathy for her older sister.

Corrin wasn't sure which she preferred.

"Sakura?" Azura tentatively asked. Corrin could see she was shocked at the changes in their sister. The rest of Nohrians were equally shocked.

Silently, Sakura opened the in front of Corrin to assist Elise. Taking a bag from Orochi, the princess took out her festal and an array of other tools that the dragon girl couldn't see from her cell. Orochi and Rinka stood guard, silent in great contrast to the chatty selves Corrin met in her first return to Hoshido. War tended to kill the humor in others it seemed.

She could almost hear Sakura frown as she inspected Elise with her festal. "High fever. Malnutrition. No bruises. The skin discoloration is expected with the lack of sunlight but not like this. She refused to eat anything, didn't she?"

"Yes." Felicia offered, seeing a no one else was willing to speak. She and Jakob had medical knowledge, having helped treat her troops many times.

The princess hummed in thought and Corrin became more aware of how the war had made the shy girl mature. She spoke each word with no trace of nerves or stutter. Then again, she already lived her worst nightmare. What was left to be nervous about?

"When did her sickness start?" Sakura finally asked.

"Shortly after Odin's arrival," the pink-haired maid stated.

"Odin is–"

"I'm aware of  _who_ he is," Sakura cut off with a hard voice and she practically heard Odin flinch. "I take it this started as soon as she was informed of the demise of Prince Leo?"

"That's correct," Jakob supplied. His haughty attitude had disappeared after he insulted one too many guards a few days ago.

"Did her behavior change after learning of Princess Camilla?"

"Yes. She became quieter. I think she still ate everything, but she slowly stopped after we learned Prince Leo's fate about two weeks ago."

"So depression and malnutrition. Lowered defenses leading to high fever..." Sakura muttered, shaking her head. "I can't treat her here." The princess stood and turned to her guards. "Orochi, request that a secure room in the guest wing is prepared for Princess Elise. Assign guards both to protect her and ensure she doesn't escape. Rinka, please bring a stretcher so we can move her." The way she commanded the two showed the strength she gained from the tragedy. No nerves or stutters, just like a princess should be.

"At once, milady," Orochi said.

"On it," Rinka added, following the Diviner out of the dungeon, leaving Sakura alone.

"Will she be ok?" Azura finally asked after a minute of awkward silence.

"I believe so. I will see to her treatment personally, but it depends entirely on her will to live." Sakura sighed, running a hand through Elise's hair and whispering, "I can sympathize. I already lost two sisters to this war."

The two other incarcerated princesses looked defeated. "Sak–"

"Please don't," the young woman said in a tired and sad tone. "There is nothing to discuss. I will help Elise because she is an innocent in this war. She was kind to me while I was imprisoned, and I will repay that. I will never forgive the Nohrian army for what they have done, but those that have good hearts like Elise don't deserve my hate." She looked at Corrin, with her lips pressed into a thin line. "There is already enough hate in the world. I will not let my life be consumed by it."

"...I see," Corrin said in defeat. Elise would live, but she lost another yet sibling to this war. "Are there any… any news on the war that you can share?"

"I suppose so," Sakura said as she feeds Elise a potion. "Garon has returned to Castle Krakenburg after the loss of Fort Jynta. A large part of the Nohrian army fell to a trap, leaving them weakened and trapped on our land. Prince Xander is leading the remaining host south."

Sakura's voice might as well have been a blade at that moment.

"Ryoma, Takumi, and Hinoka are marching against him right now."

Corrin's world crumbled. Two of her blood siblings had already taken the life of two of her adoptive ones. Ryoma was no pushover, and if he battled Xander one-on-one she wasn't sure who would prevail. But at this point would the Hoshidans care about offering honorable combat to the Nohrians?

Hinoka and Takumi would not hesitate to stab Xander in the back if that meant saving Ryoma. And Scarlet is now Ryoma's wife. She will be at his side, too. Their retainers would be with them. Could Xander survive? He was strong and had his own retainers, but the odds were against him. If he died Nohr would lose all their heirs. If Ryoma were to fall, Hinoka and Takumi would still be in the field and they would not retreat. They would have to cut them down too and that wouldn't be easy. And Sakura was still in the castle, no longer the shy little girl she met before.

Now for the first time, Corrin wondered how things would've turned out had she sided with Hoshido. Then again, after her failures as a commander, they would've probably lost. It had to be a cosmic joke. Whoever she sided with would lose if they put her in command.

* * *

"She will live," Sakura announced three days later, gaining the attention of the prisoners. "I will keep her in the guest quarters under observation. I have posted loyal guards to make sure no one tries anything on her. There are many that hate Nohr in the castle. We have to keep her prisoner, but it's also for her protection."

The words sent a wave of relief through the dungeon, but none more so than the princesses and Elise's retainers.

"Thank you, Princess Sakura," Effie said, speaking for the first time in days. "Thank you for saving milady."

"I know the thanks of a Nohrian must not mean much to you, but it's all we can give," Arthur said, giving her a sincere smile.

To their surprise, Sakura returned the gesture with a small smile of her own. "There is no need to thank me. Despite everything, I'm a healer first. I swore to help those I can and offer mercy when possible."

Corrin took a risk and talked to her younger sister. "Sakura, thank you for saving Elise. And I'm sorry I couldn't keep my word to you. I couldn't protect your troops. Your friends..."

Her sister turned towards her and the warmth left her eyes. "...I wanted to hate you, you know?" she said, making her stomach drop. Everyone went silent as Sakura spoke. "We missed you. I spent a lot of time imagining being reunited so all of us could be a family again. You, me, Azura, Mother, and our siblings. I knew we couldn't get father back, but we could get you back." She sighed, "I guess it was the silly dreams of a little girl."

"Sakura..." Azura said, echoing her own feeling with her tone. She had been more of a sister to Sakura than Corrin and she couldn't deny she was jealous.

"The way you pleaded for Elise shows you do care about them. She's a good girl," Sakura said, giving her a pained smile that showed just how broken she truly was. "I guess I'm jealous that she is a better sister in your eyes than me."

"That's not it Sakura!" Corrin denied with a pained expression of her own. "I… I started to remember our childhood. Do you remember when we snuck into Yukimura's room with Takumi and changed his ink with strawberry jam? You were very little, but the way you laughed… I remember it."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock, before taking a softer look. "That was before your eighth birthday. I gave you..."

"A flowered kimono that you helped Mother make," Corrin finished with a smile. She remembered her own happiness when the shy girl gave her the box, blushing enough to match her hair.

"You do remember..." Sakura said with a smile that quickly disappears. "And yet...You remained in Nohr."

The white-haired princess looked down in regret. "I… I didn't remember until I made my choice. I thought I could do good in Nohr but..."

"You might have had good intentions, trying to use your position to spare our troops," the pink-haired maiden said looking at the ceiling. "But words have no value unless you have the means to make them a reality."

Corrin nodded, having already accepted that harsh truth.

"I can  _forgive_ you for not saving my troops. Neither you or the Nohrian princes were able to stand up to Garon. I can understand and forgive that." Sakura added, before taking a harder tone. "But I can't forgive leaving us again. I don't  _hate_ you, though. You two were my big sisters after all."

She walked towards Azura's door. Corrin couldn't see them well form her position, but she could still listen.

"Azura...I'm sorry we couldn't protect you from those kidnappers. We failed you and we lost you too."

"Sakura… You  _are_ my little sister. I tucked you in at night… I'm sorry but I couldn't return. Not as things were."

"...I understand," the girl said, sadness clear in her voice. "I will always treasure the memories of our childhood, but I don't think we can mend this bridge."

The princess slid something through the opening, making Azura gasp. Soon, Sakura walked to Corrin's cell and slid something under hers too. Corrin kneeled and picked up the object and couldn't stop the gasp of her own.

In her hands was a ragdoll. It had pink kimono and a simple smiley face. Pointy ears made of cloth. Red buttons for eyes. Long threads of white hair. A doll made on Corrin's image. A small part of her mind that wasn't filled with grief.

"What…?"

"I made these when I was little," Sakura explained with a wistful tone. "I made one for each of us. I used to play with them hoping that we would be together again. Another silly dream…."

"Why… Why are you giving this to me?" Corrin choked out.

"We all have to grow up eventually. I can't keep clinging to the past. I can only push forward for my people," the maiden said before whispering. "That's what Hana and Tsubaki would've wanted."

The white-haired sister swallowed, willing her tears away as she caressed the little doll.

Sakura walked to the door. "I convinced Ryoma to not execute your friends when we captured you. For now, you are all safe," she said, shocking all the prisoners. Sakura, the princess they had made suffer the most, vouched for their lives. "I will try to make sure they are spared once our victory is complete."

The way she spoke, so sure of their victory, made Corrin fear for Xander but at the same time, she appreciated the gesture Sakura offered. Even after all this, the kindness of her heart had not disappeared.

"Thank you," Corrin said, quickly echoed by the other inmates.

"I can't promise I will be successful, but I will try," the princess said, and Corrin understood that Sakura was in a similar position to her own during the events of the fort. "Takumi has no sympathy for your comrades and Hinoka is indifferent at this point. But I can't let us fall into hatred, lest we become like Garon himself."

"Still, I appreciate that you're willing to go this far for us after all that has happened," she white-haired girl said with a trembling smile.

"There are bigger things at play here, Kamui," Sakura said, using her birth name for the first time since her imprisonment. "I'm sure you've heard at this point, but we need to end this soon so we can start anew."

"I've heard, but I still don't understand."

"You will soon. Don't ask questions. It's not safe and not for the reasons you think," Sakura warned her. "I will send you some better food now that I'm alone in the castle. It's not much, but it's better than the simple porridge you get every day."

"...Thank you." It was a small kindness, but the prisoners appreciated.

Sakura just nodded, leaving Corrin thankful at the survival of one sister and grieving the loss of another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Man, these are getting longer… I'm surprised Takumi's chapter is the shortest, though then again, his anger is already established. Had to deal with Kaze at some point. Thanks to Xbro Kong for checking the chapter and Temporal King for helping me brainstorm. I didn't want Sakura to change too much. Her going completely into hating Corrin just doesn't fit to me, so I made her simply accept that the relationship is lost. She suffered and hardened, but retained her kindness.


	4. Ryoma

 

Sakura came to visit a few times, informing them of Elise's condition. She allowed her to stay in the guest room instead of returning to the dungeon. Her retainers were allowed to visit under guard a few times, much to their gratitude. Corrin and Azura were not allowed, however. Even the princess wouldn't override Ryoma's order of not letting the two out of the dungeons without his permission. Not only for the chance of escaping but in case a rogue soldier decided to attack them. At least Effie and Arthur always shared good news regarding the young princess.

The Hoshidan Princess not only kept her word of better food but ordered that the psychological torture of random rotations of guards and mealtimes stopped. At this point, the Nohrian prisoners would not be a threat. They had been prisoners for three months.

Three months. A lot had happened in that timeframe and yet it felt like it passed in an instant.

Today was different. The princess arrived earlier than normal, this time flanked by a smiling Kitsune and Orochi.

"Kamui," Sakura said, gaining the attention of the entire prison. "Ryoma requests your presence."

The prisoners tensed and tried to protest, but the princess only raised her hand to silence them. It was still shocking that Sakura could command with such presence these days.

"She is safe. He only wants to talk," Sakura said trying to calm her comrades. She then turned to Azura's door and said in a more stiff tone. "He will be calling for you later, Azura," she warned and Corrin could almost hear Azura tense.

"Why not summon both of us?" she asked, trying to help the songstress.

The pink-haired girl shook her head. "I'm afraid what he was to talk with each of you is private from each other."

Not willing to push her sister on this, Corrin just nodded and followed Sakura. She flinched as she made her way upstairs. Her muscles had barely escaped atrophy in her small cell thanks to the little exercise she could manage.

Sakura noticed this and gave her an empathic node. "Kaden, would you please escort her to the throne room? I need to retrieve Elise, too," she said, earning an eager nod from the man. "Orochi, please come with me."

"Of course, Lady Sakura," the diviner said, following on her Lady's steps.

Standing there alone with the unknown man, Corrin felt extremely awkward and self-conscious. He didn't seem to care though, as he took her arm and helped her walk with a friendly smile. His support made the walk much easier.

"Hi! I'm Kaden! You're Kamui, right?"

She stammered at the tone. It had been a long while since anyone spoke to her with such warmth. "Emm, yes. But I'm also known by my Nohrian name; Corrin," she said, cringing and waiting for his outburst. She, of course, had heard what Nohrian poachers had done to many of the wolfskin and kitsune tribes.

The fox-man frowned in confusion. "That's weird. Why have two names?"

"It's complicated," she answered. Like everything in her life. 

* * *

The throne room was as majestic as the last time she had seen it. When her mother was still alive and half her blood relatives didn't want her head on a spike. Elegant paintings lined the walls. The top windows were open, allowing the warm sunlight and cool wind to enter the hall. Ninjas and archers stood outside, making sure no one intruded. It would be a beautiful feeling in any other situation.

Ryoma and Scarlet knelt before the throne, their matching red armor making them a striking presence.

"Sakura, thank you for bringing Kamui and Princess Elise."

Sakura bowed to her elder brother, in honor of his position. "Of course, brother. Anything else you need from me?"

"No. You are free to go. I'm sure the machinists want to continue with your project."

"Bring him in," he ordered.

A moment later, the doors to the side of the room opened as Kagero and Saizo brought a prisoner with them. Corrin's felt her heart leap to the threat and she could hear Elise's cry of surprise at her side. The prisoner wore simple garments, though his arms and legs were bound by chains. A formality, given the fact that he was missing both hands. She could see the marks of electric burns around the bandage-covered stumps.

Xander would never wield a weapon ever again.

"What's this, King Ryoma? Are you going to parade me and execute me in front of my remaining sisters?" the Nohrian said with contempt.

"Mind your tongue in front of the king," Kagero warned. Her lovely voice carried steel, to display her loyalty to her liege lord.

"This is your trial, Prince Xander. You and your soldiers have committed many crimes against not only Hoshido and our neighbors, but even your own people."

"We do what we must to survive. Not all of us are blessed with bountiful harvests and clear skies like you Hoshidans," Xander spat.

"Spare us the lies, prince," Scarlet said with a voice worthy of a queen. The boisterous woman had grown into her role as ruler and leader, hardening after the massacre of her countrymen. "Is Nohr really in a dire situation when it can raise such an army? All while still feeding their wyverns and horses? When it can feed their armies long before their attacks on the eastern side of the continent started?"

Each word made Corrin think and she could see the same on Elise's eyes. Scarlet's country was not that different from Nohr, though conquered a long time ago. Yet their people only suffered on Nohr's rule despite serving proudly in their army for centuries. So why was it that even the capital had such problems with poverty, hunger, and disease when the nobility had lavish parties and plenty of food for the army?

"Cheve lays on the same side of the continent, but we never had issues with farming or trade. Not until we were forced under Nohr's banner," she said with distaste."We know the words you cry in battle. "For the Glory of Nohr!" Not for the  _need_ of the  _people_ , but for the  _glory_. Nohr had equal access to the sea. We have rich mines where we can trade minerals for resources, but your father would rather take everything by force than to lower himself to mere trade! "

"You rebelled against your king's orders. I don't expect a traitor like yourself to understand."

" _Traitor!?_ " Scarlet snarled, sounding like a wyvern herself. "After what you did to my people you dare c–!"

"Enough, Scarlet. I think you've made your point," Ryoma said with a commanding, yet soft tone. He placed a hand on the freckled blonde's shoulder as she took a calming breath.

"Pardon me, beloved," she said with a sheepish smile. "I have a hard time thinking about Nohr without getting angry. I can only see the Chevois corpses butchered in the ground. Generations of service to that damned kingdom wasted."

"I understand," Ryoma said before turning to the two girls. "Kamui. Princess Elise. I brought you here because it's important that you know the truth behind the Nohrian Royal Family's actions. While we can't share everything yet, Nohr is still responsible for many atrocities. We are here to discuss those related to  _you_."

Corrin didn't understand what was happening but the flash of fear in Xander's eyes didn't inspire any confidence.

The Hoshidan King looked at his retainers and gave a nod. "Sit Prince Xander on the throne," Ryoma commanded the ninjas, who obeyed despite the weak struggles of the prince. "That's what your people have desired, no? For a Nohrian to sit in the throne of Hoshido? Now you get your wish, with all that entails," he said with no small amount of contempt in his voice.

"What is that supposed to mean? Is something going to happen to Xander?" Elise asked, worried for their elder brother.

"As you may recall, Kamui," Ryoma said as he and Scarlet watched how Xander was forced into the Throne. "Mother mentioned that this throne is known as the Throne of Truth. A gift from a kingdom long gone. It possesses the ability to reveal the true personality of those who sit on it. Not only that but when questioned by a member of the Hoshidan Royal Family, the one sat on it will always answer truthfully."

Xander's eyes widened in shock and fear, and Corrin felt dread coil around her insides.

Before the blond prince could protest, Ryoma powered through with the first question. "Tell us, Prince Xander. Were you aware of King Garon's plan for Princess Kamui?"

The Nohrian heir gritted his teeth and tried to resist but to no avail. The throne glowed with golden light and all of Xander's will crumbled away. "Yes."

Corrin's world shattered like glass.

"Since when?" Ryoma asked, carefully observing the girls' reactions.

"… Since the attempt to execute the two prisoners. Leo saved them on Father's orders. We knew that Corrin wouldn't kill them. We hoped that would spread the word of her so when you were captured taking the fort, the Hoshidans would take her captive."

He knew. He knew and he used her as a pawn.

"Were you aware then, of Kamui's role in the plan to kill Queen Mikoto?"

"Not until she had already departed," Xander admitted, which was little consolation to Corrin. "I knew the sword had something to with bringing down the barrier, but not the method. I myself had nothing against your mother, but I understood the necessity."

Used. Nothing but a tool.

He then looked at Corrin with determined eyes that did a poor job hiding the pain. "Once it was explained to me, I was angry, but as the heir to the throne of Nohr I understand that sacrifices have to be made sometimes. I knew there was a chance of you dying in the explosion, but I trained you too well for that. And I hoped that you would still return to Nohr even after learning your true heritage."

"...And had I sided with Hoshido?" Corrin asked, her Hoshidan blood compelling the prince to answer.

Xander closed his eyes before releasing a pained sigh. "I would've cut you down. The decision would've hurt me, but I would've done my duty. All traitors to Nohr shall receive no mercy."

Corrin couldn't believe what she had heard. At her side, Elise stood in equal shock, tears in her eyes. Their brother had admitted that he would've killed her in an instant, unlike the Hoshidans that tried time and again to get her back.

She gulped and asked another question that promised pain. "Camilla and Leo, too?"

"You know Camilla. If she couldn't have you, no one would. Leo tried to be too much like me. He wouldn't have hesitated in attacking you, always eager to please and demonstrate his worth," Xander said, regret fighting with the conviction in his voice. She knew it was true. "It's the result of the Concubine War. You and Elise can't understand, Little Princess. It would've hurt us deeply, but such is the burden of being a royalty."

Ryoma changed the topic, focusing more on Xander's actions. "What role did you partake in the massacres of neutral or rebellious territories?"

"They made a pledge to the crown and dishonored their vows with rebellion, but that did not deserve the massacre of civilians. I had nothing to do with the neutral territories and I do not approve of the actions committed there. Our goal was Hoshido," Xander said.

"At least you do have some honor," Ryoma said with a frown. "I really don't have much else to ask. I got the answers I needed." He then turned to his sister. "Kamui? Is there anything you want to ask him?"

There were many questions running through her head, but Corrin condensed them all into one.

"...Did you love me?" she asked softly.

"Corrin?" Xander asked, confused.

"Did you actually care about me, or was I just a tool to attack Hoshido?" Corrin asked with heat in her voice.

"I did! I do! I… I know what I said is horrible, but I'm sworn to my duty. I'm glad you joined us and didn't force us to fight you. You might've been Hoshidan by birth but when we took you in, I raised you as my own sister. We–!"

Corrin exploded. Rage powered her, pushing away the exhaustion she felt after weeks incarcerated. "You kidnapped me! You killed my father and erased my memories! Then you admit to using me as a sacrificial lamb!"

"Do  _not_ speak like I don't care! You would've been executed multiple times had we not interfered!"

"Only while I was still useful!"

"These were not easy decisions! You–!"

"ENOUGH!" the Hoshidan King commanded, stopping the bickering in an instant. "Prince Xander. You have admitted to many crimes against the people of Hoshido and its Royal Family. You have lead the Nohrian forces on this war as they ravaged our land. You might not be responsible for your father's choices, but you are complicit in following through with the orders. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Xander just leveled a glare at the prince. "What would be the point? It's clear you have already made your decision. Just end this farce of a trial."

Ryoma frowned at the tone but continued. "Very well," he said with finality. "The sentence for all these crimes is death. You will be executed at sunrise." The king then glanced to the young royals watching the display. "Do either of you have any last words for them before going back to your cell?"

The blond prince's expression faltered and looked at them with hesitation. They would be the last time he would ever talk to his family. Those that were still alive at least.

"Elise...After this… you will be the only heir to Nohr's throne. I..." he sighed in resignation. "We won't win this war. Father will die and you will be Queen. Do you understand?"

The young girl looked as if she had aged a decade in a matter of minutes. Her image of her family had been shattered and it would never be the same. But she gathered herself and looked at the broken prince in the eye.

"I will be a queen that leads Nohr to prosperity, through friendship and diplomacy. I will be the best queen I can be," she declared with conviction.

Xander gave her a pained smile, knowing that she should've never been the one to bear this burden. "...I know you will. You're stronger than you're given credit for." He then turned towards the white-haired princes. "Corrin… Little princess… I–"

She refused to acknowledge the way he used her nickname. It was obvious to anyone that he didn't want to die without at least healing some bridges.

But he wasn't going to be to mend this bridge.

"...My name is Kamui," she whispered, just barely preventing more tears from gathering in her eyes. And yet, despite her statement, she couldn't call herself that name in her mind. She didn't deserve a Hoshidan name after her crimes and failures.

She would remember the Xander that she grew up with fondness, regardless of the means by which she became his sister.

But that was not the man that was before her.

Xander just looked down in defeat, no longer having any fight left in him. The ninjas took away the broken prince away to wait for his execution.

"Princess Kamui. Princess Elise," the new Hoshidan Queen said, getting their attention. The fact that Scarlett called her 'Princess Kamui' showed some sympathy for the girl's plight. "I know you are going through a hard time, but could you please your hands on the throne? We need to know," Scarlet said with surprising kindness. She had no reason to even like the Nohrian royals, but she was making the effort.

Nodding, both princesses marched forward, with Corrin helping Elise who was still coming to terms with all of her family's atrocities. The pair placed their hands on the cold marble. They needed to prove their innocence, to some degree, for them to at least secure their comrades' lives.

Being the one with the Royal Blood, Ryoma asked the questions. "Princess Elise. Do you have any intentions of continuing this war once you become queen?"

Despite the harsh times she had suffered, Elise gathered all her strength and looked at Ryoma with conviction. "I never wanted war. I wish everyone would just get along. There are many people in the streets of Windmire that need food and medicine. I rather focus on helping them than continue this senseless war. I would rather trade with you to help my people. We lack food, but we have metal, gems, hardwood, and other goods to trade."

Corrin had to admire her little sister. Her kind heart hid a resolution many would not expect, along with a cunning mind filled with knowledge. Much like they did with Sakura, the fires of war and loss had tempered her heart.

The King and Queen shared a look once the throne glowed, indicating this was true. Scarlett nodded and Ryoma addressed the blonde girl. "Princess Elise. You are the only remaining heir to the throne of Nohr. Once we dispose of your father, are you willing to take the crown and work with us to help Nohr and end this war?"

"I do, but I understand that there will be conditions."

The rulers of Hoshido looked at her in approval. Despite being the youngest she seemed well aware of the intricacies of court. "You're correct. The removal of many nobles from positions of power, the demilitarization of Nohr as well as returning the seized territories to their rightful rulers are things that will be expected. Along with… insurance that no further aggression from Nohr will come."

Corrin felt pride in the way Elise took her but felt unease settle on her stomach at the mention of  _'insurance'_. "I understand."

"We will discuss this on a later date. I know that after what happened, you need some time to think." Earning a nod from the last Nohrian heir, the king looked towards his blood sister. "Kamui," Ryoma started with a grave voice that made her tense up. "Were you willingly complicit in our mother's death?"

The question hit her like a blow. Guilt, rage, and indignation rushed through her veins as memories of her mother came forth through thanks to the power of the throne.

In her memories, Mikoto had the same smile she gave her the day she laid down her life for her missing daughter.

"No!" she snapped, mustering all the anger she had bottled up. Not Ryoma too. She already had enough distrust from Takumi and Hinoka. "I would never have harmed Mother! I wasn't aware of anything regarding those actions!"

The glow from the throne showed this was the truth and Ryoma let go of a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. "I'm glad. While that doesn't absolve you of all responsibility, it will help your case. Though I don't think that will make Takumi or Hinoka change their opinions."

She didn't expect it to be easy, or even possible, but she would not deny she had some hope still left in her.

"Scarlet, would escort Elise to her chambers? I would like to have some time with my sister, alone."

"Of course," the queen said. Placing a comforting hand on Elise's shoulder, she used the other one to clean her tears. Offering her a smile, Scarlet slowly guided her out of the room. "Come, your highness. I have a proposition for you. We will discuss it while we have some tea. I will have your retainers come with us if that would make you feel more at ease."

Elise smiled at the kindness of the rough Wyvern Rider. "I would like that."

Corrin was glad Elise survived and was safe here, despite their circumstances.

Unlike herself.

"Walk with me, Kamui," Ryoma said and suddenly Corrin felt extremely vulnerable.

Her brother guided Corrin through a door on the side. The samurai guards showed no emotions on their faces but the princess could feel them tense at the sight of her. Not like she could defeat Ryoma in combat, even at her peak condition. The mere thought was ludicrous.

They walked outside and Corrin had to stop to feel the sun and wind on her skin. It had been so long since she felt this. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath of fresh air. The scent of spring hid the essence of war that still lingered on the air.

"Ryoma?"

"Yes?"

"Could…" She swallowed, not daring to look at him. "Could you tell me how you capture Xa– Prince Xander? I realize I'm prying for information bu–"

"Alright," he said with ease. "It's not a nice tale, though. Are you sure you want to hear it?" It was nice to hear such concern from one of her blood siblings.

She nodded. "Please. I need to know."

"Very well. This is what happened from my recollection, as well as the words of others..."

* * *

_To say that the Nohrians were having a stroke of bad luck would be a severe understatement._

_It first started after the Hoshidans had pushed them out of their foothold in Fort Jynta. The deaths of Prince Leo and Princess Camilla were hard blows after news of the captures of Princess Corrin, Elise, and Azura. The only remaining member of the Royal family had been Xander. The loss of troops on those encounters along with those from smaller skirmishes soon piled up, stopping the invasion in its tracks. Soon, they were being pushed out Hoshido and with no other choice, Prince Xander was forced to order the retreat back to Nohr to replenish their forces._

_Sadly this played directly into the Hoshidans' hands. The main traveling path through the Bottomless Canyon had been rigged with explosives, with ninja demolition experts waiting for the moment when a large portion of the troops was already on their way. When more than half the troops were already on the path, the detonations started. Tons of rock came crashing down on the helpless Nohrian soldiers. Some were buried alive, while others were simply crushed or pushed off the cliffs to their deaths._

_Prince Xander watched in horror as more than half of his remaining forces were lost on that single attack. He had only been spared of this fate because he put his troops' lives first while he protected the rear. A disgusting irony._

_The war_ _cries coming from the plains were enough to gather his attention and fill every Nohrian with dread. A large host of Hoshidan troops came rushing towards them. Leading them were the three eldest Hoshidan Royals._

_Two which had killed his siblings._

_Xander gritted his teeth and tempered his anger. It wouldn't do to lose his head. He couldn't put family over duty in this situation. The lives of his soldiers depended on it, even if their chances were slim. The Crown Prince barely manage to rally his disarrayed troops just as the Hoshidans crashed on their lines._

_The battle raged for a long time and only the narrow terrain prevented the Hoshidans from overwhelming the Nohrians in one fell swoop. It granted the Nohrians a small fighting chance that they seized with both hands. But those with clear minds knew that they would soon be drowned by the number of Hoshidan troops coming on top of them, but in the end it didn't change their actions. There was no way out, but they would take as many Hoshidans as they could down with them._

_Xander had cut his way through dozens of Hoshidan soldiers as his body protested from the exertion. He lost his horse to a volley of arrows but that didn't slow him down. He needed to get to the Hoshidan Royals and kill them or capture them to negotiate a parley. As destiny would have it, the Royals and their retainers met on the battlefields, while Takumi and Hinoka worked in tandem to thin the numbers of those that dared to get too close to them. The groups separated as each individual engaged their own opponent._

_Laslow was tense. Most would think him relaxed from his expression, but anyone could see the wariness from facing against the brunette kunoichi before him. "I would rather not fight a pretty lady such as yourself. So how about you surrender? I give you my word you will be treated with respect," he said to the beautiful woman._

_Kagero narrowed her eyes, but other than that her expression didn't change. "I could say the same thing to you, but none of us will betray our liege lords."_

_"_ _... I suppose not," he conceded, before locking blades with the Hoshidan woman._

_Kagero was surprised with the skill shown by the Nohrian retainer. He fought like a veteran that had been fighting all his life. But she had already been informed plenty on his skills. The blades on her forearms when combined with her wakizashi and natural agility allowed her to get shallow cuts here and there. She lacked armor in comparison to the samurai, but she made up for it by not getting hit._

_A few kunai had pierced through his padded armor on the weaponed sections she had cut with her arm blades. Laslow gritted his teeth and pulled back to get some distance, but before he could take the kunai out or ask for a healer, his vision began to blur._

_"_ _W-what's happening? I feel… d-dizzy..."_

_"_ _Fast-acting paralytic poison," the kunoichi explained, throwing a shuriken and striking a Nohrian mage that tried to attack her. "We have orders to take you alive. You will join your two friends in our dungeon."_

_"_ _F-Friends?" he asked as he struggled to move. The action was becoming harder with every second. "Wh–?"_

_"_ _You will know soon. Take him," Kagero ordered and two ninjas obeyed. Soon, Laslow had been taken away towards the back of the Hoshidan lines. Sadly for him, his capture was not witnessed by his lord or fellow retainer, for they were engaged on their own battles._

_On another part of the battlefield, Peri fought on foot against Saizo, having lost her horse to the shinobi's shuriken. They were evenly matched. Saizo's agility and skill were being countered by Peri's unpredictability and brutality._

_"_ _I'm gonna bring your guts back to Lord Xander! Teeheehee!" the Nohrian retainer said with madness-filled glee._

_"_ _Tch! Madwoman..." Saizo said as he once more tightened the grip on his tanto._

_Meanwhile, the King of Hoshido and the Crown Prince of Nohr were locked in brutal combat. The swordsmen had no more words for each other. Both knew neither would surrender to the other. The only way this battle would end would be with the capture or death of one of the combatants. Lighting and darkness clashed against each other in a fight for dominance, with neither giving an inch._

_The Hoshidan King felt his muscles burn and knew he needed to end this quickly. The longer this went on, the more lives would be lost to this senseless slaughter. The Nohrians could not win, but a wounded animal was still dangerous and even more willing to fight. The sky soon turned orange with the sun starting to hide behind the canyon walls. It gave the king an idea._

_Ryoma turned his blade, reflecting the light of the setting sun right into Xander's eyes. The moment of blindness made the Nohrian Prince falter, and that was all the Hoshidan King needed. Weaving through the missed strike, Ryoma swung Raijinto in a vertical arc. The black armor plating provided no protection against the lighting-enchanted steel, allowing the Hoshidan to severe both of Xander's forearms from the rest of his body._

_Xander dropped to his knees, howling in pain. His hands laid a short distance away, Siegfried still on their grasp._

_"_ _LORD XANDER! YOU WI–URGH!" Peri's shout was cut short as she clawed at her throat, which now sported a bloody smile._

_"_ _Always keep your eyes on your opponent," Saizo said, pushing the dying girl to the ground and cleaning his kunai. "Remember that in your next life."_

_Hinoka and Takumi arrived moments later and took the beaten prince captive as the rest of their comrades dealt with the shocked Nohrians. They were drenched in Nohrian blood and the only thing that stopped them from cutting down the prince was their elder brother's command._

_Ryoma raised Raijinto on the air and his voice rang like thunder on the battlefield. "NOHRIANS! YOUR PRINCE IS BEATEN! YOUR ARMY IS BROKEN! CEASE YOUR BATTLE AND YOU WILL BE GRANTED MERCY!"_

_The sight of their broken Lord on the hands of the Hoshidan Royals was the last straw for the beaten Nohrians. Their morale laid in ruins and only a few hundred of them were still alive. If they continued to fight, they would not live to see another day._

_With no other choice, the last of the would-be conquerors dropped their weapons and surrendered to the Hoshidan forces._

* * *

"There were survivors?" Corrin asked in surprise as they continued their walk. She thought the Hoshidans would have killed them all.

"Yes. I'd rather not kill when it's not necessary. They were beaten and broken. We have around twelve hundred prisoners in our custody from all of our battles. They will remain in captivity in separate camps until this war ends."

She couldn't help but cringe at the number. It was but a fraction of the numbers before the start of the war. Still, she was glad that at least some Nohrians would see their families again. "And Laslow still lives?"

Ryoma nodded, but she noticed the slight scowl on his face. "Yes. He still has value as a prisoner."

Corrin remembered the strange behavior of two of her comrades. "Odin and Selena mentioned that your soldiers were ordered on taking them alive."

"That is correct," the king admitted, before giving her an odd look. "They have more to do with this situation than one would think."

"I have been told that before. I'm willing to accept it, but some answers would be nice. What makes these three special?"

"I'm sorry, but I should be able to tell you soon," he said with a sad smile. He stopped moments later, gazing in front of them. "We are here."

She finally looked around and froze. She hadn't been here since her return but she didn't need her memories to recognize the place.

The Royal Graveyard.

They walked in silence for a short while, passing through many of statues representing the previous rulers of Hoshido, before stopping before the latest additions. There stood three statues carved in marble with loving care. Gold was used to highlight certain details and give it a more lifelike appearance. It was the work worthy of a ruler and they would remain out in the open for a generation before being moved to the crypts below the castle. At the base of each statue was a plaque with the names of those resting there engraved in a golden plaque.

_King Sumeragi Shirasagi._

_Queen Ikona Shirasagi._

_Queen Mikoto Shirasagi._

A lump formed in her throat and her pulse quickened. Her parents were resting there.

Her father's body, riddled with arrows as he shielded her from Garon.

Her mother smiling as she blocked the shard's from the sword Garon gave her.

"I… Why are we here?" Corrin asked. Was this some sort of torture? Ryoma couldn't be this cruel...

Ryoma placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up to him. "Just for today, forget the politics. Forget the war, or whatever crimes you are being charged with. Talk to them. You deserve that much."

"I don't d–"

"You do," he said sternly, but not unkindly. "You are the real victim here, and as your brother I  _want_ to protect you. But Prince Xander spoke the truth. There is a burden to being a ruler. As King of Hoshido I have to punish you," he said and she could feel the pain in his voice. The pain she had put him through.

"I know… I'm sorry to place this burden on you, Ryoma."

"Even after all that you have been through, you still feel the need to apologize for things are not your fault."

"It is my fault! If I hadn't taken that mission, if I hadn't come back then mother would still be alive! If I hadn't sided with Nohr then I… I don't know! But things would be different!"

"Different doesn't always mean better."

"..." she didn't know what to say to that.

He squeezed her shoulder in reassurance. "You didn't kill our mother. You were used to doing so, yes, but not of your own volition. Your memories were taken from you and you were manipulated by Garon."

"I still sided with Nohr..."

Ryoma sighed. "It was foolish of us to expect you to simply side with us over those you thought were your blood for many years. The Nohrian heirs treated you well, regardless of the motive behind it. In the end, we were the strangers in your eyes. Blood has value, but so does bond. And it pains me that our place in your heart was stolen by Nohr."

Corrin cringed.

"It's  _not_ your fault," Ryoma insisted. "You need to get that through your head, little sister. You were manipulated. Garon put you in those situations and your life was on the line."

"Why do you keep trying to make me feel better?" she whispered, not looking at him.

"I'm your older brother. It's my job," Ryoma said as if that explained everything. In a way it did. Xander was the same. So different and yet so similar.

The white-haired princess gave a hollow chuckle. "Well, you are the only one that doesn't outright hate me or just cut me off their lives."

"Your decision certainly didn't make things easier for us," he conceded. "And each of us felt its weight in our own way."

Oh, how she knew that to be the truth. "I… I heard their rants. How Takumi dared to hope I stayed or the work Hinoka put into rescuing me… I didn't have the time to really get to know what they had been through before I made my choice."

Ryoma frowned in thought. He seemed to mull over his words for a minute before replying. "Hinoka spent her life training to get you back, making it her single-minded mission. Your choices, the death of Azama, and Sakura's situation replaced the image of the loving sibling she spent years trying to save with that of an apathetic conqueror who feels nothing for them," he said until he noticed the pained expression on her face. "I know that's not what you are, but pain can blind us to the truth."

It was the cruel truth. While Camilla pampered her with gifts, Hinoka was working herself to the bone to rescue her sibling.

"Takumi always hated Nohr for taking you and killing our father. Combined with Oboro's history… well, it was to be expected." He seemed to mull over something, before continuing."I will tell you a secret. He used to tell me, in private of course, that he wished we could all be a family once again. Even with Azura, despite anything he says. When you went to Nohr, Takumi took it as though you didn't care at all." Ryoma explained. "Did you know he is also a son of Mikoto?"

"Truly?" That surprised her. She wasn't aware, but then again there were still holes in her memories.

Her only full blood kin hated her.

"Yes. That's why you both share the same hair color. Father took both our mothers as wives. Not that different of Nohr, I suppose. But they shared power and actually got along. We never had anything like the Concubine Wars of Nohr." he told her fondly, "Mother Ikona was weak from Hinoka's childbirth and died of a miscarriage a few years after Sakura was born. After that, Mother Mikoto took the role of mother for all of us."

"Oh..." Only know she learned more about the other wife of her father. She never asked much about her when she was little, at least that she could recall.

Ryoma took her silence as a sign to continue. "Sakura is just too kind to hate you. Oh, she might have been angry, but not to the point to hate you." He then chuckled. "It's funny to think she has a temper under all that kindness. She used to slap Azama when he bullied her, and once even broke her festal in frustration with her bare hands."

Corin couldn't help but chuckle at that. Somehow the idea of meek little Sakura snapping a rod in frustrations was a silly idea. Sadly, that Sakura was gone, replaced by a more tempered but still kind princess.

That only left one person she couldn't figure out yet.

"...And you?" she whispered, lifting her eyes to look at her brother.

Ryoma looked at her with a mix of pity and resignation. "I'm… disappointed."

For some reason, that hurt her the most.

"At us," he clarified as if reading her mind. "Because we could only get you back home as a prisoner. Because I was forced to destroy the images you had of the Nohrian Royalty in order to give the truth. Because… Because I failed as your brother."

She looked at him in surprise. "Wha–You… You don't hate me?"

"Kamui…" he said, running a hand through her hair. "Did you know that I was the first person to hold you in their arms? Well, aside from the midwife. Father was away with my blood mother on a diplomatic mission when your mother went into labor. I was the one that held her hand through it all. By then, I already saw her as a second mother."

"I… I had no idea."

"When I held you… I swore I would protect you. Just like Hinoka did. And as the eldest it's my duty to protect all of you, and I failed you. I failed all of you. I let Takumi fall to his hatred. I let Hinoka burn her life away in a single-minded pursuit, no matter how noble. I couldn't protect Azura from my own soldiers. I let Sakura suffer so much. And I failed you most of all." Ryoma looked at the statues with remorse. "This is one of the few things I can do for you."

Ryoma stepped back, giving her the space she needed to get things off her chest. She looked at the carefully crafted faces of her parents. The fierce and brave expression her father had when he shielded her from the arrows. The soft smile her mother had when she did the same.

"Mother… Father… It's me, Kamui..." she swallowed, feeling her throat getting dry by the second. "I… I'm sorry! I'm such a disappointment! You must be so angry at me… You gave your lives for me and what do I give in return? I forget you and side with your killers! I..." She was rambling, but she didn't care. "I should've stayed in Hoshido… I know that!… I just… I didn't know what to do."

Her thoughts went back to all the good times she had with the Nohrian royals, even if her interactions were limited. She was a hostage, and it was so obvious looking back. Yet.. despite Xander's words, she just couldn't let go of those bonds.

"I still cared about my Nohrian siblings," the princess said, unsure if that would offend her parents. "I think I still do despite everything. I was just recovering my memories of you and then you died mother and I didn't know what to do… I just… I don't know anymore..."

Soft steps next to her made her look up to her big brother, who was looking at her with sad eyes.

"Come here," Ryoma said, wrapping his arms around her.

Corrin didn't resist. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, she was just Kamui. She felt the warmth and strength of her big brother's embrace. A man that had tried his best, offered a dozen times to return home until her own foolish choices made that option unavailable. Just for a little while, she felt safe from the weight of the world. The princess wished she could stay like this forever.

She felt like the young girl she was. Why was she leading an army? Why did these choices fall to her!? All she did was screw up! Why did her father take her on that damn trip!? She would still be with her mother and father. Her Nohrian siblings might still be alive, even if they would not be her siblings.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried into her brother's arms. To whom she was asking forgiveness, she wasn't sure.

Ryoma just hugged her with a sad smile, stroking her hair like he did when they were younger. "So am I."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So, I realize I made Xander look eviler than in canon as far as we know. Camilla and Leo are too weak-willed to make their own decision, with Camilla being quite unstable. Xander is weirdly written. In the supports he seems to care a lot for his family and people, while in the story proper he cares more about following his father, ignoring his evil actions and being the dutiful son.
> 
> I think its weird how the timing worked in the prologue. Corrin gets captured, the Nohrian army is at Hoshido's gate waiting for it to fall, with Xander leading it. While Xander doesn't want Corrin to die, clearly loving her and worried about her mission to the Ice Tribe, I feel he would obey his father if Corrin's sacrifice meant the end of the war.
> 
> Ryoma here is the understanding one. Takumi and Hinoka had their trust betrayed, while Sakura is just too kind to let it get to her when Corrin actually tried to help her. Ryoma here has lost the least compared to them. He only really snapped in Conquest when Corrin says they killed Hinoka. Here he is calmer, more rational and has seen how the Nohrians have suffered under Garon, as well as having Scarlet showing her that those in the Dark Kingdom can be just as good. That and he knows of the true enemy.
> 
> Thanks to Xbro Kong for checking this.


	5. Outsiders

 

All good things had to come to an end. After spending some more time with Ryoma – even sharing a meal with him – he was eventually forced to send her back to her cell. But this time, he ensured that she and her companions had better futons and clothing, as well as better cleaning supplies much to their relief. He even had some books sent to them to spend the time. This along with the better food Sakura provided them with made their stay much more bearable.

They were still prisoners, but this change made the Nohrians thankful that Takumi was not the king. Then again, the archer would've killed them long ago.

She was thankful to not have to witness Xander's execution. Ryoma later told her that Sakura had been with Elise after the execution. At least she had someone to stand at her side while she mourned. Laslow took it heavily though, crying at his failure as a retainer, something he now had in common with his friends.

Corrin just felt… nothing. She  _should_  mourn the big brother that helped raise her, but how could she? Now that she was aware that not only did he keep the truth from her, but that the original affection he showed her was under orders? That might have changed over time, but to know that he too had seen her as a pawn against Hoshido…

She buried herself into reading, though Ryoma did invite her out a few times to talk in private, alongside Elise and Sakura. Azura remained in her cell, though she didn't dare ask why, lest she let go of those precious moments. Not surprisingly, Hinoka and Takumi were nowhere to be seen.

Maybe it was for the best.

It was a couple of days later that a conversation among her comrades caught her attention.

"–ushing further into Nohr, from what we gathered. With every territory rebelling and the army crushed, it would be best to surrender, but Garon will never do that," Arthur said, having regained his strength thanks to the food.

"I don't understand. They seem to be able to counter everything Nohr did," Flora said from her cell, not having said anything in forever. Corrin had the feeling she blamed her for their predicament, which wouldn't surprise her.

Laslow went to his door window and spoke through the bars. "Yukimura was a good tactician. And the Hoshidan Royals and their generals are not pushovers either."

"But we were pretty even in terms of skill and we had more manpower when using the Faceless," Severa said, though there was clear disdain in her voice for the use of the undead creatures. Corrin could understand that. Their creation was one of the things that painted Nohr in a negative light.

"They must have found some good tactician to help lead them," Odin mused out loud.

"It seems our cousin appreciates your work, little brother."

"Hey!"

A sigh accompanied a tired response, "Yours, too, sister."

Corrin could hear the trio's bodies tense as the owner of one of the voices walked into the dungeon. Her steps were calm and purposeful. Looking through the opening of her cell, something the rest of her comrades also did, she saw three people they had never seen before. They walked with purpose and frowns on their faces, each carrying themselves with poise and power.

At least, the Nohrians hadn't seen them before.

"L-Lucina?! Marc?! Morgan?!" the surviving retainers of her fallen siblings shouted as one.

"Owain. Inigo. Severa," the girl with the long, blue hair said, looking at each prisoner with a stony expression. The two younger persons flanking her wore similar outfits and looked quite alike. Twins, if Corrin had to guess. "It seems that our timing is impeccable, so we may explain your confusion."

"W-What are you doing here?" Odin asked, voice trembling in a mixture of surprise and fear.

The older girl's reply was of icy anger. "It should be obvious by now, dear cousin."

"Cousin?" Corrin heard herself asking. "Excuse me, but who are you and why are you calling them those names?"

The older girl turned to her with a raised eyebrow before her eyes widened in some sort of recognition. "Ah, Princess Kamui. Or is it Princess Corrin, now? Never mind. I suppose we haven't been introduced yet," she asked before leveling a glare to the red-haired retainer. " _Selena_ , if you would be so kind to introduce us?"

The no-nonsense tone silenced any biting remark from the red-haired girl.

"Guys… Princess Corrin, Princess Azura. These are our friends. Princess Lucina Lowell, Prince Marc Lowell, and Princess Morgan Lowell of the Halidom of Ylisse," the mercenary explained, shocking those present. "The rulers of our home realm, and our true lieges."

Corrin looked at the trio with a new perspective and she could feel the power radiating from them. The sword strapped to the eldest girl exuded power that reminded her of the Yato. Despite their young age, they carried themselves with the poise of war veterans.

"And this is our cousin, Prince Owain Lowell, though he will be lucky if he keeps the title after this whole debacle. The other two are Inigo Sirot and Severa Albiot, friends and members of the Ylissean nobility and it's military," the elder princess said, before offering Corrin a polite smile. "I wish I could say it's a pleasure to meet you, but I fear the circumstances are not apt for such pleasantries."

"What are you doing here, Lucina?" the newly named Owain asked again.

Lucina's smile left her face as she turned to the dark mage. "You didn't think you could just take a deal from an otherworlder, travel to such realm, and Naga wouldn't see it fit to inform us?"

"You… what?" he said in a tone resembling that of a strangled man.

"Naga sensed an intruder similar to Grima enter our world," Marc started to explain. Corrin was burning with questions, but she held her tongue, feeling they would get answered. "How he recruited you and you came to this world! Supposedly to deal with another dragon and yet what do we find? You helping a mad king conquer another country!"

"Hey! It's not that simple!" Owain denied.

"Yeah, do you think we were happy assisting a conqueror?!" Severa said in righteous indignation. "But we couldn't stand idle after seeing how the commoners of Nohr live! People suffer from famine while Hoshido has plenty of food that they throw away! They could've shared it but didn't! It's not like Plegia that had plenty of land for crops and fishing villages!"

Marc didn't look convinced. "Maybe they would've been more willing had Nohr tried negotiating first instead of launching raids and attacks on the east? Their culture is one of conquest, like Walhart's. That's how they are. How many territories did they add to their empire through force?"

"Despite centuries of grudges, King Sumeragi was willing to discuss peace and start trade with Nohr," Lucina said, disappointment in her voice. "I read the treaty he offered. Nohrian ore for Hoshidan food at a very favorable rate. Even the potential of betrothals between the kingdoms. Yet, he was cut down and his child stolen."

"...Even so, we were asked for help and we offered it. We made a deal and kept our word," Owain said stubbornly.

"You mean how he promised you to fix our future?" Marc said, frowning at them.

The trio looked stunned at that. "H-How do you know about that?" Inigo asked, still shocked.

"As Lucina said, Naga felt an intruder and soon after you guys disappeared," Marc explained, crossing his arms and leaning against one of the Inigo's door. "She used her powers to reach the Outrealms and see what happened to you since your disappearance. The new entity had the power to block her sight while he was in our world but caused quite the ripple when you left. She learned many things…."

"Like how you were tricked with an empty promise," his twin finished with a frown. "Just like mother and Grima are separate beings, so is the dragon and the man that recruited you. You should know better than taking such offers."

"Tricked?" Inigo asked as his voice gained a sound of dread.

Morgan looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Did you actually believe a being that has the power to fix our future would need your help? Of three mortals, none of which carries the tools needed to perform the Awakening? Don't be arrogant. The defeat of Grima was the work of an entire army, not just you three."

"He said he needed people that had fought against dragons before," Inigo said, though now there was doubt in his voice.

"That is true. He needed the help, or more precisely the pawns, because he lacks the power to do so himself," the elder princess stated. "I'm not sure what his full plan is, but clearly he needed outsiders to do his bidding. I know he asked you to look for someon–"

"But he showed us! The restored pastures! The forests! The graves for our comrades!" Owain shouted in desperation.

Lucina closed her eyes and gave a pained sigh. "It was an illusion."

"W-What?"

"Not even Naga, who is at her full power, can do that. If it were that simple, Grima wouldn't have taken such a long time to just laid waste to our world. Dragons are powerful, but not as godlike as some people think. They have access to powerful magic, but things like restoring an entire world? No."

Marc grimaced and looked away. "You should be aware… our future no longer exists."

His friends recoiled at that statement. "What do you mean!? It's just another outrealm!"

"Not entirely correct. Time-traveling is messy. It's never without its consequences. Before leaving, Grima had killed everyone except us. For an outrealm to exist it needs to have certain things, or people, to continue existing. With everyone dead… reality simply saw no point in having a dead world and erased it," Morgan explained, pacing angrily.

"If we had succeeded on our own, we would've eventually died out without enough people and our world would've been erased anyways. We're all disowned by time, which is why we didn't create paradoxes with our younger selves," Marc said, looking at the ceiling with a frown.

Owain didn't back down, though. "And yet, you then knew Garon was being manipulated. That this war was started by someone else."

Corrin could barely register what she was hearing. Time-travel. Other Worlds. A dragon behind everything. Manipulating other to do his bidding.

"Are you saying… Garon and Nohr are being manipulated?"

Lucina looked at her, nodding, before turning to Owain. "Yes, but you overestimate since when he was being manipulated," the older girl said. "Maybe he wasn't a conqueror like his ancestors in his youth, but his militarization didn't happen overnight. He only increased the desires that were already there."

It was true. All the Nohrians knew their history. While the details of the Cheve Ambush were not fully known in Nohr, everyone knew that at that point Nohr was being extremely militant and aggressive.

"...Even so, we were asked for our help," Inigo insisted. "We would've helped regardless of the reward! We didn't even need one to begin with."

"It's one thing to help kill a mad dragon. That we understand and even approve," Lucina said, before scowling at them. "But it's another to help a conquering nation to subjugate another!"

Owain growled at his family. "We're going in circles! We already told you! It's more complicated than that!"

"Well, good thing everything worked out wonderfully, right?" Morgan said sarcastically, before leveling a seething glare at them. "Of course, you idiots had to leave the door to our world open!"

This confused the others. "What are you talking about?"

Lucina crossed her arms as she began her tale. "Once you left and Naga informed us of the incursion, things turned messy. We had a little… infestation." 

* * *

_"_ _Another attack?" Lucina asked as her father entered the war room._

_The Shepherds were discussing how to proceed with the mobilization of their army against these strange new enemies. There were those that thought Plegia was behind this, but Queen Aversa denied it. After she discovered the truth of her past and took control of Plegia, she had become very cooperative with Ylisse and Ferox. Not only that, but her kingdom was also under attack._

_"_ _We received word that Southtown has pushed back an attack from those hulking monsters. There is also word from the border that such creatures have been attacking Plegian and Feroxi troops," Chrom said as he read the report. "But the dukedoms of Themis, Talys and Pyrathi have been under heavy attacks, with some of their further towns razed to the ground."_

_"_ _I've been studying the captured samples we got. The magic feels like that of the Risen, but… foreign," the tactician queen said, looking at her notes. "I don't know how to describe it. Certainly draconic in nature. The dead have been turned into those things."_

_"_ _Another dragon like Grima?" Sumia asked, nervous at the implication and she wasn't the only one._

_The queen grimaced at that but couldn't deny it. "It's the most likely scenario, but there shouldn't be any more dragons of such power in our world," Robin said, trailing off as she frowned in thought. "What about the troops we captured? The ones that are fully human? Did they say where they are from?"_

_"_ _They claim to have been sent here to seize land in the name of a King Garon, from the Kingdom of Nohr," Stahl explained. "Vaike and I couldn't get anything more than that from them."_

_Cordelia looked at her husband incredulously. "Nohr? As in the mythical Dusk Kingdom?"_

_"_ _Is it possible that they traveled from an Outrealm?" Ricken offered. "I mean, we traveled to other worlds, so it's not like others can't do the same."_

_"_ _It's indeed possible," Robin said, rubbing her chin in thought. "We have time travelers amongst us so it's not farfetched that something or someone from an Outrealm to come into our world."_

_"_ _Could this being be behind the disappearance of Inigo, Severa, and Owain?" Chrom asked, with crossed arms._

_Lucina saw how everyone spared a glance to the parents of said teens, who look both grim and hopeful… Except for Henry, who was smiling like always._

**_"_ ** **_I am afraid so, Awakener."_ **

**_A flash of light engulfed the room, and soon the Shepherds found themselves in the familiar Temple of Naga, located inside the Outrealm Gate._ **

_"_ _Naga! Do you know what's going on?" Chrom asked as they all bowed to the Divine Dragon._

_The woman nodded to them, her voice echoing through their bodies._ _**"Partially. But first, let me summon everyone to explain what I have found out."** _

_A moment later, the rest of the Shepherds, including those in Ferox, Plegia, and Valm were summoned to Naga's Temple. After a short greeting, they all turned to the demi-goddess for an explanation._

**_"_ ** **_I brought you here, for there is much you need to know,"_ ** _Naga said to them. With a wave of her hand, an orb of light manifested before them as tendrils of light slowly surrounded the Shepherds._ _**"Allow me to show you."** _

_Flashes of the other worlds flooded the minds of the Shepherds. How the kids were recruited. The story of Hoshido and Nohr. How Nohr had killed the Hoshidan rulers and conquered other territories before falling to the dark influence of the Dragon Anankos. About the curse in place._

_"_ _Well… This is a cluster fuck," Robin said rubbing her temples as she felt a migraine coming._

_"_ _Those idiots!" Lissa shouted, shaking Henry in her fury. "When I get my hands on Owain...!"_

_"_ _Oh Severa… Why?" Cordelia said, leaning against Stahl for comfort. "She should know better..."_

_"_ _Inigo..." Olivia said with tears in her eyes, as her husband hugged her closely._

_"_ _I will beat some sense into that stupid son of mine," Lon'qu grounded out. "To make such decisions so rashly..."_

_"_ _Calm down, everyone!" The Exalt ordered, calming doing his comrades. "So, our missing trio were manipulated and tricked. Unfortunately, that doesn't excuse them from continuing to help a kingdom like that. From what you showed us of this world, our best choice would be to ally with Hoshido," he said, earning a nod from Naga. He sighed. "Nohr is clearly already compromised and I personally can't side with a kingdom so similar to Walhart's."_

_The declaration earning grunts of agreement from those present, especially Say'ri, Virion, and Cherche._

_"_ _They seem to be similar to Chon'sin in culture, so I volunteer to be part of the first contact party," Say'ri said._

_"_ _That's a good idea. I will go with you, along with a proper entourage," Chrom said. He then turned to his wife, "Robin, could you handle the logistics for our mobilization?"_

_His wife just gave him a smirk. "Honey, please. Remember who you're talking to. Take Marc with you. You might need a tactician. Lucina and Morgan will stay with me so they can help me with the preparations and we don't put both Falchions at risk."_

_Chrom nodded. It was a solid plan. "Alright. Seems we got our work cut out for us."_

* * *

"Making contact with the Hoshidans was a challenge," Lucina admitted. "We had to prove we were not from Nohr, but thankfully King Ryoma granted us an audience. Queen Say'ri was a great help thanks to their cultural similarities."

"Needless to say, Father and Mother are not pleased with you. Neither are your parents nor the rest of the Shepherds," Marc added with a disapproving frown in his face.

"That was pretty stupid on your part. What were you thinking!?" Morgan scolded, pointing at each other.

"Why are you so angry, Morgan?" Owain asked, and while Corrin was not familiar with the girl, she could tell her anger went deep. "I understand we made a mistake but–!"

"But that mistake almost costs my entire class their lives!"

Her cousin stuttered and paled just like his friends. "H-huh?"

Her twin moved to her side and put his hand soothingly in her shoulders. "Take a deep breath, sister."

Morgan did so, closing her eye to calm herself, if only for a moment. "I work as a teacher on Bern -a village an hour away from of Ylisstol. It's a small village so it's not heavily protected," she began to explain, and Corrin felt dread start building up in her gut. It sounded just so familiar.

Corrin swallowed and heard herself asking, "Did… any of them...?"

"No," the robed girl said, understanding what she meant. "It was sheer luck that that day Laurent and Kjelle went with me to bring some school supplies. Had we not been there..." Morgan trailed off for a moment, before shaking her head and regaining her fire. "Because of you guys, Naga can't close the portals so it's like we're fighting Risen again. What's worse is this time we were fighting against those Faceless things, the Invisible Soldiers, and even Nohrians under Garon's orders!"

Lucina sighed, massaging her forehead. "Going to Nohr, working under a tyrant king into conquering peaceful lands? You might as well have helped Gangrel and Walhart to conquer Ylisse!"

"I-It's not the same!"

"Is it not?!" Morgan exploded with anger. Clearly, she was the most temperamental of the siblings. "Aunt Emmeryn tried to negotiate with Gangrel and got killed for it, just like King Sumeragi fell to Garon at that so-called peace conference! Now Nohr is trying to 'civilize the savages' as they say, including us!"

"A country using dark magic to create undead soldier sounds quite a lot like the Grimleal using Risen, doesn't it?" Marc said, making the trio flinch.

The dungeon remained silent, no one daring to get in the middle of the dispute.

"So, what's going to happen to us?"

"You won't be killed if that's what you're wondering," Lucina said with her arms crossed, much to the relief of her friends. "Our parents negotiated for your lives. The Shepherds will assist Hoshido and their allies on taking down Nohr and the source of the Invisible Warriors." The princess then leveled a glare to them. "You're lucky. There were quite a lot of Hoshidans and even some of our allies asking for your heads. We don't want a war, not even for you guys, but you're lucky the Hoshidans are willing to spare you as long as you don't remain in this world."

"So that's why you guys were spared," Corrin said in realization, walking towards her windows, noticing everyone else did the same. "My siblings have hinted that you know more than you let on. This deal… Does it have to do with this real enemy everyone keeps talking about? And you knew!?"

She felt betrayed and wasn't that ironic.

"I'm sorry, Lady Corrin, but we literally can't talk much about it," Inigo offered, though it was a weak apology to her ears.

"Despite our harsh words, they can't talk about the topic," Lucina said, surprisingly "We have a small blessing from Naga to allow to divulge some information. This Dragon, whose name we can't pronounce due to a curse, is the one manipulating Hoshido and Nohr into war using the invisible soldiers. They were asked to kill him by the being that came into our world and left the door open. If that was his intention or not, we do not know."

"To discuss more, including his motivation, would trigger a curse he acted to protect his existence and kill those that spoke of it," Morgan explained to them. Corrin could understand the why no one had ever suspected a third party. If even speaking their name could kill you then gathering any information would be extremely difficult.

"Such a strong opponent could not be left alone, so of course we had to interfere," Lucina said, looking at all of them. "And the first step to prove our intentions were, with Prince Takumi's supervision, to capture you."

"WHAT?!" 

* * *

_"Why are we being sent away from the Fort Jynta? It's our only stronghold right now," Silas asked his friend as their party made their way through the Hoshidan forest._

_"_ _You how my fa– How King Garon has been lately," Corrin said, a tired and strained smile on her face. "Our losses are straining the army and we are on thin ice already. It's best not to question him or..." she trailed off, remembering the horrible incident with Sakura._

_Silas grimaced and decided to change the topic. "So, what now? Where are we supposed to go?"_

_Corrin took out the letter they got earlier that day. They had received a message from a wyvern rider about a reassignment. "We are to take out the Tohoku outpost. It's supposed to be highly protected now as their troops have been moving south."_

_"_ _I wish I could've stayed with Sakura," Elise said with a sad voice. "She looked so broken, but I didn't want to anger father..."_

_"_ _It's for the best, Elise..." Corrin soothed. "I just hope this ends soon. There already has been too much bloodshed."_

_At her side, Kaze walked, his attention on his surroundings when something made the hairs on the back of his neck stand. "Wait... something is… GET DO–!" his warning was silenced as he was slammed against a tree by a blast of wind, shocking everyone into action._

_"_ _KAZE!" Corrin shouted as she took her dragonstone. "EVERYONE! WEAPONS OUT! Felicia, heal Kaze! Flora! Buy us some time with a wall of ice!"_

_The blue haired maid nodded and turned, ready to freeze their attackers when she felt her magic being drained. "Wha–?" Flora managed to say before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell unconscious._

_"_ _Dark magic! It's draining our strength!" Nyx said, taking out her tome to counter the spell. "I will– agh!" she screamed as a kunai embedded itself in her hand, making her drop the tome._

_Ninjas fell from the shadows, throwing paralytic smoke bombs and nets to capture her troops. The horses panicked, throwing Silas and Elise to the ground as they ran into the woods in fear. This made them vulnerable. Corrin could only watch as one by one her comrades were captured and knocked out. It took mere moments to do so._

_Shocking herself out of her stupor, the princess gripped her dragonstone and was prepared to transform when a familiar arrow made of wind knocked it out of her hands with incredible accuracy. Gritting her teeth, she drew the simple sword she now used instead of the dull Yato. Her senses were on high alert, but that didn't help her when a miasma of dark magic engulfed her being. The princess gave a silent scream as she felt her energy being drained from her body. The sword fell from her grip, clattering to the ground as she sunk to her knees._

_As darkness crept on the edge of her sight, Corrin's last clear sight was the glaring eyes of her younger Hoshidan brother._

* * *

_"_ _Good work everyone," Marc said, smiling widely at his team. Having Tharja and Henry drain their mages of their power with their hexes, while the Hoshidans used sleep darts on them made taking down most of the troops an easy task. "Especially you, Gerome."_

_"_ _I have to admit, I'm surprised this worked," Takumi said, shaking hands with the young tactician. "It was fortunate that one of your comrades shares the looks of a Nohrian so closely. Otherwise, they wouldn't have fallen for such a trick."_

_"_ _Just because Minerva is a wyvern and I wear black doesn't mean I'm Nohrian," the young man said, hiding his scowl with his mask. The wyvern growled making the Hoshidans tense but was soothed by her rider._

_"_ _I understand that now. My apologies, Sir Gerome, but please understand that this is a very strange situation," Takumi said with surprising respect, earning a nod from the wyvern rider._

_Marc nodded, keeping the diplomacy between the two parties was a challenge, but he was up to the task. "It is quite a strange situation, but one that works to our advantage. The fact that only Nohr uses wyverns and they don't know about us gave them no reason to suspect Gerome of not being Nohrian."_

_"_ _You were true to your word. I will inform Ryoma of this and formalize our alliance," His face then turned into a scowl. "Now, my troops and I will move the prisoners to the dungeons."_

_Morgan nodded. "We will accompany you to the meeting spot. It will be safer that way."_

* * *

"Both parties parted ways before you woke up. After that, the Hoshidans were much more cooperative," Lucina continued to ignore the shocked Nohrians. "Marc helped plan Lord Takumi's assault on Fort Jynta, while Morgan led Princess Hinoka's troops while she battled Princess Camilla. Mother, father, and I were in other battlefields, thinning the Nohrian forces," she explained, further shocking the Nohrians with her explanation. "In fact, it was mother who planned the attack that captured Prince Xander and eliminated the bulk of the Nohrian army. Gerome and Cherche were key on spreading misinformation in the Nohrian ranks."

Corrin could only gape at them, feeling both rage and respect. Such a simple strategy that worked only because of an unforeseen wild card. Two wyvern riders spelled the doom of the Nohrian advance.

"Queen Robin… Of course. No wonder we felt into that. She planned everything. Herding us into the canyon. The time of the assault. The collapse on top of the bulk of our army," Inigo said, before giving a hollow laugh. "Gods, we were so afraid of Grima, and yet Robin's mind is the thing that scares me the most."

"Be careful how you speak of our mother, Inigo. You're already on thin ice," Marc nearly growled, while Morgan was oozing anger.

"In the end, it was for the best that we withered your army," Lucina explained, looking at the various cells. "Had you progressed and ended up killing either King Ryoma or Prince Takumi, we would not have the tools to defeat the true enemy. We need the five sacred weapons and their wielders to kill the dragon behind everything. We believe Falchion could do the job, but we are only sure if Yato is at full power."

"And yet, you allowed Prince Leo and Prince Xander to be executed. Isn't that hypocritical, Lucina?!" Owain shouted. Corrin understood that as his retainer, he had been close to Leo.

His cousin took it in stride, however. "Maybe, but luckily we have three persons with the blood of the Divine and Fell Dragons in our side that fit as decent replacements for the dusk weapons."

Corrin and her comrades didn't understand what she meant, but the Ylisseans did.

"...You," whispered Severa.

Lucina nodded and looking closer, Corrin saw something that shocked her.

Marc had Siegfried strapped to his hip, just like Morgan had Brynhildr on hers.

"You… You can wield the sacred weapons of Nohr!" the dragon princess exclaimed in shock, earning the shocked attention of her comrades.

"What–?!"

"How?!"

Nodding, Marc looked at her to explain, "Yes. As we said, we have a very special mix of dragon blessed bloodlines. Lucina can also wield Siegfried, but she already has her Exalted Falchion." He pointed at the golden sword that now she noticed had a blue glow on it.

"We have already performed the Awakening of this world with the help of Naga and now Princess Sakura has the Omega Yato on her side," Lucina said, shocking her friends. "We have been training her to wield it, though it seems Yato has been helping her as she has been improving at an astonishing rate. Even with her new puppet arm."

"The Rainbow Sage was supposed to be the one to unlock that power but was killed by Nohrian troops to prevent Hoshidans from gaining the power of his trials," Morgan explained, her tone sad. "We learned that he was one of First Dragons."

Corrin had heard of the Sage before, that his trials granted power. Xander had completed it, and so had Ryoma. It seems that Nohr wasn't willing to risk anyone else gaining that power.

Morgan's voice then took a more confident tone. "With both Exalted Falchion, Mystletainn, and the five Sacred Weapons of this land we should be able to easily handle the true enemy."

"The Dragon you mentioned… the one you can't talk about?" Corrin asked, trying to piece together this mess. "Even with all this information, you haven't mentioned anything about his name and location, other than he is a dragon."

Morgan looked at her, giving her a sad smile. A different expression than the angry glares she gave her friends. "I'm sorry. I know we've dropped a lot of information on you, but understand this. We can't talk about anything directly of this enemy. But they are the ones behind the Invisible Soldiers, bringing our friends to this world, sending troops into our kingdom, as well as manipulating Nohr. Or more precisely, pushing Nohr over the edge much earlier than it would've happened naturally."

Lucina nodded in agreement. "First, we will deal with Nohr," she said, making the prisoners cringe. "The Shepherds and the Alliance will assist the Hoshidan Army on their attack on the Nohrian Capital. We can't allow a nation such as that to keep a military that threatens other and conquers those it can."

" _All_  of the Shepherds?" Inigo asked, with a trembling voice.

"Yes," the three siblings said with finality.

"Gods… Nohr doesn't stand a chance then..." Severa said with a weak laugh.

"Why? What is so special about these "Shepherds?" Jakob asked, frowning in disdain at the foreigners that threatened his homeland.

"The Shepherds started as a voluntary militia by the Then-Prince Chrom Lowell to protect the Halidom," Inigo explained, and despite his situation he had a tone of pride in his voice. "They eventually gained new members and became the tip of the spear of the Ylissean Alliance. All of them are war veterans and survivors of continental wars. They were key on preventing the fall of our world to mad cults, conquering kings, and even a mad Dragon."

"At this point, each of them could've give any of the Royal's a run for their money with their skills and strength. Especially the Exalt and his Queen," Severa explained. "We are... were part of that militia, alongside our parents."

That was not little praise to their skill. Each of the Royals were powerful on their own despite their age. Even Sakura and Elise were proficient in the areas of healing for their age. It also spoke of the might that will soon be falling on Windmire.

"Pretty words will get you nowhere, Inigo," Lucina said amused, though her face took on a thoughtful frown. "Though I'm surprised. You guys were much stronger than these before you left."

"A lot of our strength was sealed away by A– by the Dragon," the dancer said, biting his tongue. Corrin caught it though. It seems the Dragon's name started with A.

"And despite that, you still had the skill and strength to impress the rulers of these lands," Silas said. "If that's the power you have when sealed..." he trailed off, the implication clear.

The trio said nothing, and for a few moments, the dungeon was engulfed in silence.

"Then what's next?" Owain finally asked.

Lucina mere raised an eyebrow at him. "For now, you will remain here."

"What?! But–!"

"It was part of the agreement. This way the Hoshidan can ensure we don't just run away with you three. Consider it a time out."

Severa bristled at that comment. "We are not children, Lucina!"

"Them stop behaving like such!" the princess snapped back, shocking the trio into silence. Taking a calming breath, she continued, "Consider the situation that you're and us are in right now. The Hoshidans have enough justification to execute you so don't make matters worse!"

"Despite the large number of foolish decisions you made, you are still our friends," Marc added, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "But we can't let you out and possibly jeopardize our alliance with the Hoshidans. We are putting our lives on the line to fix your mess."

"We could work together!" Owain said, his voice desperate and hopeful. "Everyone here is a strong warrior! Now that Hoshido knows Nohr is being manipulated and with the Shepherds help we can end this! This could bridge the gap and bring peace to both countries."

"You can't be that naive, Owain," Lucina scolded. "Did you not remember what happened with Valm?"

"What do you mean?" Severa asked as Corrin could see the dark mage turn pale.

"For the love of..." Morgan muttered. "Remember. Not all the dynasts bent the knee to Queen Say'ri. Nor did many of the Houses loyal to Walhart. Even after he died, they kept fighting after the death of the Emperor. To prevent them from rising again, what were we forced to do, even if we loathed the idea?"

"...We extinguished their Houses," Owain said, shocking all those in the dungeon, especially those with ties to the nobility.

Lucina nodded. "The same thing we did the Grimleal Houses after the fight with Grima," the elder princess said, her voice tired. "We love peace, and try to keep to Aunt Emmeryn's ideals, but sometimes drastic measures are necessary. If they surrender, they will be spared, though their strength will be limited. If not, well… We will end this, one way or another. But we can't let Nohr remain strong, lest they seek revenge later against Hoshido or our lands. The dimensional tear might never close, so border control will be established by both Hoshido and Ylisse, as the main portal is in our territory. That's the burden of a ruler, Owain."

"Not that they have much strength left," Morgan said with a shrug. "Our intelligence says that a lot of the Lords and their heirs have fallen in battle, already destroying their houses. There are still those fanatically loyal to Garon, but they will be dealt with."

"And even if all these weren't the case, we can't let you join us. You don't have the trust of our troops, nor the Hoshidans. It would be foolish of them to trust Nohrians to fight at their side."

"Do you not trust us, cousin?" Owain asked with a heartbroken voice.

"We don't trust your judgment," clarified Lucina. "It will take time for our trust in you to be fully restored." She then leveled a harsh glare at the three. "But believe me, this discussion is far from over."

With that, the three blue-haired outsiders left the dungeons, leaving an oppressive silence behind.

"So..." Corrin finally said, her voice cold. "I think there is much you need to tell us. Let's start with this talk about the future."

She could hear the three foreign retainers gulping.

* * *

It had been weeks since the Hoshidans and their foreign allies departed for Nohr and she knew the end was near. Azura could feel it. Everything was coming into place. And yet she felt only the weight of her failure. Corrin was wrong. It wasn't her fault. The whole responsibility fell on Azura's shoulders. Her mother entrusted her with the secrets of Valla and duty of dealing with Anankos.

A duty she failed.

Why didn't she act before? She could have taken someone else to the Bottomless Canyon long before the war broke out in full. But she would've needed to convince more than just the Royal Family to step out of the safety of Queen Mikoto's barrier to get to the Bottomless Canyon. To them, she was an outsider. A Nohrian that could be leading them into a trap. No Hoshidan would be foolish enough to allow such a valuable prisoner so close to Nohrian territory. Despite how well the royal family treated her, it didn't change the fact that she was a prisoner.

A foolish failure of a prisoner.

Tears fell from her eyes. She was a coward. She couldn't face everyone once they defeated Anankos. She knew they would. She had faith that the Hoshidans and their allies would triumph where she failed. But Azura wouldn't be here for the aftermath.

"Va– I can't do it… I'm too much of a coward."

Days passed and every day she tried to muster the courage to just end it. She meditated and gathered herself. Every ounce of courage she had left was poured into one word. She was willing to die to stop Garon. To defeat Anankos and reclaim her kingdom. And yet she had so much trouble just facing the fact that she failed in it all.

She was a coward and failure and deserved a death befitting of such a person.

"Azura? Are you ok? You've been silent for a while."

Azura didn't reply to Corrin's question. Her fellow princess had grilled her for answers after she tripped in the conversation with the Ylisseans. They had fought and hadn't spoken since then. Part of her didn't want her last words to her to be those born of anger and frustrations, but they would've to do.

She just whispered one word. One that no one could hear.

"Valla."

She closed her eyes, waiting for the end to come.

Nothing happened.

"...Azura?"

She didn't answer her fellow princess, too shocked by equal parts defeat and elation.

The curse was broken.

Anankos was dead.

She couldn't help herself. She laughed. It was a beautiful, pained thing that rang through the walls of the dungeon, but what else could she do? Her curse had been lifted from her shoulders and yet none of her actions had contributed to the end. Her mother's death had been in vain.

"Azura? What happened?" Corrin asked with a worried tone.

"Oh, Corrin… there is so much I need to tell you… Let's start with the Kingdom of Valla and the Mad Dragon, King Anakos…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I think I ranted all I wanted in this chapter. People always write. “The trio return home after Conquest and are happily welcome.” What? Did they omit the part in which they help a mad king conquer another nation? They were there to protect Corrin and defeat Anankos, not help Nohr massacre Hoshidans. Because that’s what they were doing under Garon’s orders. Corrin’s and even Xander’s good intentions meant nothing under Garon’s rule.
> 
> Thanks to Xbro Kong, Shipping Rates Apply, and Temporal King for the help with this chapter. 
> 
> Recommendation for good Post-Conquest fics I have read.
> 
> Heir by Cherry101 on AO3
> 
> Mankai by ThisIsNotAQuill on AO3
> 
> Across the Realms by Axuqa on AO3


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